


Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

by OlivertheOblivion



Series: The Evil's Redemption [1]
Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: Emily Lewis is the main part of Obscura, He eventually sees past Stefano's facades and into his insecurities, Joseph Oda and Emily Lewis have a big impact on our two protagonists, Leslie is the new hooded figure, Lily is saved but they're all trapped in STEM now, Lots of Angst, M/M, Myra is unfortunately gone in the STEM system after Lily was saved, Sebastian is a hot-tempered bastard, Slow burn mostly, Stefano has 0 self-esteem, Stefano has some PTSD, Stefano is an unexpected parental figure to Lily, The Administrator was a manipulative asshole to Stefano, The STEM world hasn't crumbled yet, headcanon of Obscura being made from a random victim and his assistant model from before STEM, mention of Stockholm Syndrome, mention of sexual and emotional abuse, there will be some fluff moments tho, who knows idk, yes there might be some sexual tensions later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:40:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26155882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OlivertheOblivion/pseuds/OlivertheOblivion
Summary: Sebastian doesn't give a damn what happens to Stefano Valentini or his "art". He doesn't want to waste his time thinking about Stefano, but after the extraction point was sealed he finds himself stuck with the irritating Italian photographer. So what else can he do? And how long will it take for the extraction point to be opened again? With Kidman being unreachable and the system at a standstill, all he can do now is wait it out...
Relationships: Sebastian Castellanos/Stefano Valentini, The Administrator/Stefano Valentini (implied)
Series: The Evil's Redemption [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926910
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. The Bigger Picture

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah pretty much Sebastian and Stefano will start to grow on each other eventually OvO

Sebastian slammed his fist hard on the door furiously, the door of the simulation of his old office in KPD shook a bit but relented to break. His knuckles were red and slightly bruised from punching it in anguish multiple times.  
  


Why wasn't it opening? What was going on? Did Kidman screw something up on her end? Did the Administrator intervene in some way? What happened and why was it happening right after he just found Lily?  
  


Speaking of, the young girl was propped up against his desk in a light slumber, obviously not aware of the current situation her father was furious over. He was grateful for that, however, as he never wished for his own daughter to ever see him in such an angry state.  
  


Finally at his limit of fury, he slammed both his fists on the door one last time before sliding down to his knees in defeat. His forehead pressed up against the door as he closed his eyes tightly, wishing that this was some horrible sick joke.  
  


"God...dammit... Why now...?" He growled through gritted teeth, the anger in him boiling but slowly starting to fade into an empty emotion. All he felt now was the helpless feeling of abandonment. How could this happen? He was so close... They would have gotten out... This would all be finally over. They would go back to living their normal everyday lives. Like none of this nightmare ever happened...  
  


"A little too soon to be giving up, aren't we, detective?" A very sly and obviously egotistic, Italian voice spoke from behind the detective.  
  


Sebastian's first instinct was to make sure Lily wasn't anywhere near the psycho. He wheeled around with lightning fast reflexes, gun trained on the other man who stood at the open entrance of his office. Stefano smirked from where he stood, but he raised his hands in the air to convince the detective that he was unarmed.  
  


*"Non così in fretta, detective Castellanos." Stefano chuckled in light amusement at the other's hasty reaction. "I am no longer interested in taking the girl. I have no purpose or desire to do so anymore with how our situation looks." He said, eyeing the other cautiously but in a calm demeanor.  
  


That answer didn't satisfy Sebastian. "Bullshit, she's the reason why you were even _able_ to do any of your crazy shit you call art!" he spat back, glaring with malice in his eyes. The click of his rifle's chamber sent a flinch through Stefano's body for a moment, but he remained calmer than water.   
  


"You realize that my powers are gone, sì?" Stefano reasoned, his eyebrow raised in mock obviousness. "Even if she still harnesses the power to provide what I desire, I could not achieve it again even if I wanted to."  
  


"Which you never _will_ achieve if I have anything to fucking say about it." Sebastian retorted with a snarl. Stefano found himself rolling his eyes a bit. "Please, you are being stubbornly ridiculous. What else do you think I could do? The best I can manage is wielding a knife." he deadpanned.  
  


"Don't fuck with me! You're more than capable of anything!" The detective snapped, his temper rising again. He kept the gun trained on Stefano, unintentionally aiming it at the right side of the other's face. Stefano bit his lip irritably, eyes narrowed with just as much venom as Sebastian, and turned his head to the right to keep the grotesque side away from Sebastian. "Come now, *tesoro~. I really have nothing left of my beautiful creations. I cannot recreate what I have before, there is no longer any point in trying to regain what is lost."  
  


Sebastian had absolutely no fucking idea whatever it was he called him, but it frankly didn't matter to him. Not now. He stepped forward aggressively, causing Stefano to back away in instinct, the Italian's hands raised a bit higher in defense. "*Voglio dire che, Castellanos. I am serious. I do not pose as a threat anymore. My power is gone and has rendered me as low as the diseased monsters out there." he said more firmly, attempting to convince the other not to shoot him. He really didn't want another bullet wound.  
  


"Why should I believe you at all? You're a fucking psychopath who's nothing but trouble." Sebastian said in a snarky tone. "I know sooner or later you'll try to jump me. How did you even fucking survive? I swear I finished you off!"  
  


"Ah, but not unless you jump me first, detective." Stefano said, probably to try and make a light jab at Sebastian's ego. "God knows you are much faster and more well-trained than I am." This caused a moment of silence between the two. It was true that while Stefano was a very dangerous and psychotic man, he was also just a mere war photographer with little to no combat knowledge compared to Sebastian as a full-trained police investigator. "As for why I am still alive... Even I do not know the answer to that."  
  


"...Do anything and your fucking head gets blown off. You understand?" Sebastian said in a low growl, the other giving a very subtle nod before he finally placed his gun back into his holster. "What do you know about the extraction point's hold up?" He asked the Italian bluntly.  
  


"You really believe I know any more than you? I just arrived here, detective. Nothing more could have happened in that span of time." Stefano replied curtly, stepping away from his spot and into the office, though made sure to stay as far from the unconscious child as possible so not to alarm Sebastian. "I was only one of many sent in here to retrieve the girl, I have no knowledge of their technological advancements."  
  


"Dammit." Sebastian kicked the wall closest to him, gritting his teeth and placing his hands on his hips in frustration. "Now what? I'm not going to fucking stand around and wait for one of those lunatic monsters to come in and kill Lily. I need to get her someplace safer, but I don't want to stray too far from the extraction point...." He mumbled, more so talking to himself now than to Stefano.  
  


The younger man stared back at the detective, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall with a cork board hung on it. "You are aware that there is always a "safe zone" created when you enter STEM's systems, sì?" he questioned the troubled officer. "Perhaps this may not be your safe zone any longer. It must have moved when the extraction point closed."  
  


Sebastian thought about this, glancing up briefly at Stefano as if daring to believe he was actually being useful for once. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't want to risk it, but we don't have any other options left. And Lily can't stay in this open area for much longer." he said, staring at the snow-filled land beyond the office room's open entrance. Stefano himself seemed to be pressing himself tighter against the wall for warmth. They definitely couldn't stay here.  
  


"Fine. Let's get moving then." The detective finally caved in and strode over to his daughter, carefully lifting her up in his arms and turning to Stefano. "You're going to lead. I don't trust you behind my back." he said sternly. Stefano sighed but nodded all the same. After all, he managed to get Sebastian to cooperate enough to tolerate his presence. He may as well do what he can to keep it that way.   
  


The two trudged out of the familiar office and into the windy snowy mountain. Sebastian kept Lily close to his body to keep her warm, even though it wasn't enough. He silently cursed, not knowing what else to do for her since he had no jacket to drape over her. Well... _he_ didn't...but Stefano...  
  


He glanced back at the unwilling companion, his eyes trained on the other's suit jacket. And the scarf. Stefano seemed to instantly notice the other staring right at him. "Oh? Afraid your little girl will catch a cold?" He said with a thin tone, smiling with a taunting sneer. "Do you _want_ to lose your other eye?" Sebastian said with a hazardous tone to his voice this time. It sent a very bad feeling down Stefano's core and he immediately stripped his suit jacket and scarf off.  
  


He waded back through the snow to reach Sebastian's position and carefully tucked the suit jacket around the resting girl's upper body. "A shame we cannot spare any shoes." Stefano said thinly, staring at Lily's bare feet. "Here." He took his scarf and wrapped it around her feet like a cocoon, then tucking it inward so it would stay in place. "That should do."  
  


The unnatural parental approach Stefano took a moment ago took Sebastian slightly off guard. He was fairly certain there was no redeeming qualities about this man. Stefano, who murdered over a thousand people for his sick photographed exhibit of death, wouldn't possibly be capable of having any sort of compassionate emotions. Right?  
  


He decided to push this into the back of his mind. It wasn't important. "Good. Thanks." Sebastian responded to the Italian and jerked his head forward to signal Stefano to move back in front. The Italian sighed and rolled his eye, turning away and regaining the lead position onward. Lily gave a soft mumble, Sebastian glanced down at her and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "It's okay, sweetheart. We'll be somewhere safe very soon." He whispered.

.

.

.

Hours and hours passed, though it was hard to tell because neither men attempted to keep track of time. All that seemed to matter was to find a new safe zone for the time being. The snowy area started to fade off and soon it was muddy road and high trees that was devoid of any real greenery. Both of them knew this, it was only a mental creation based off of STEM's coding, though it was never felt like it wasn't real. Eventually they began passing by metal barrels stuck in the ground, scraps of debris littering the path, and ripped fabric hanging from branches and bushes. At this point they had walked themselves to exhaustion and dizziness. At least, Stefano had.  
  


The photographer collapsed to the ground suddenly, falling onto his legs and bracing his hands on the ground to balance himself from hitting the ground face first. "Nngh... *Mie scuse... I..." his vision started to blur a bit, and Sebastian had to admit he looked very pathetic and pitiful. He stopped walking as well and knelt down on one knee next to Stefano. "We can't be too far, just a little further." He urged, looking around quickly to scan for any threats in the area. They were right out in the open and vulnerable after all, he didn't want to let his guard down even if his arms were full at the moment.  
  


"I cannot..continue any further..." Stefano managed to wheeze out. "I do not know how far we have already traveled...or for how long..." He ran a hand through his hair, making sure he kept his head down and away from Sebastian's sight so not to expose his disturbing eye. Sebastian grunted in irritation at this, but he couldn't force Stefano to keep moving. "Fuck...Dammit, give me a second!" The detective sprang up and looked in every direction hastily. He quickly dashed down the dirt path and looked back at Stefano before he was out of sight. "Hang tight! I'll be back!" He called after the Italian, but the younger man just gave a small pathetic smirk. A smirk that seemed to mock Sebastian's words and retorted in itself "no you won't".  
  
Sebastian tightened his jaw and swiftly returned to following the dirt path. It was a long stretch and definitely would have been heavily stressful on Stefano had he forced him to go any further. Honestly he probably deserved it, but something deep inside Sebastian convinced him that it wouldn't give him any kind of satisfaction he'd be hoping for if it had.  
  
He stumbled through the wooded area, cutting his face and his forearms on low hanging branches and thorny shrubbery. He kept Lily as close to his body as possible, but even he couldn't stop the few misplaced twigs and thorns from scratching Lily's face. He held onto her tightly and burst out of the woods and into an abandoned military base. He froze upon seeing the near immediate change in atmosphere, and looked back wildly at where he came from and back to the open grounds. "Fucking christ!" he huffed out, stunned that he actually found someplace useful. He carefully stepped around tentatively, just in case there were any land mines planted throughout the site, though in truth he doubted they would plant them within the base.  
  
As he continued on, Sebastian finally walked upon a very secure metal door that no doubt led to an underground military bunker. Perfect! He set Lily down lightly and turned to the metal door, turning the large metallic wheel with both hands and grunted as he twisted the wheel to open the bunker door. Once he lifted it up he scooped up Lily in his arms again and carefully descended down the ladder.

He wasn't even quite half way down the ladder when he stopped to listen for any sounds of anyone else in the bunker. So far...silence. Hopefully that was a good sign. He finished climbing down and observed the room's current set up. There were metal desks and chairs set up, a very large ice cooler that was still running, metal shelf cases with an arrangement of medicines and other unknown substances lined up along the surfaces, and two bunker beds at the very back room. Both beds were opposite of each other, one side pressed against their respective walls. Sebastian instantly headed there and set Lily down on one of the beds. He took Stefano's suit jacket off of her but kept the scarf on her feet just in case she was still shivering. He folded the jacket and set it on the edge of the bed past the desk that was in between the beds and glanced back down at Lily, who now seemed to fully relax and fall into a deeper sleep.

Sighing, he sat on the other bed and stared at her, one arm lifted to run his fingers through his hair and the other resting on his knee. His thoughts were still scattered. He still couldn't fathom what had just happened in the past few hours. Why wouldn't the extraction point work? What happened on Kidman's side in the real world? He didn't want to stay in this horrid place forever, and Lily would never be the same if she stayed here too. He suddenly felt a sensation of feeling lost...unsure of what to do next...and how.

The sound of the suit jacket slipping off the edge of the bed snapped him out of his hopeless thoughts. Stefano... STEFANO!

Fuck! He nearly forgot to go back for him! He scrambled to his feet and dashed into the main room, snagging some of the medicines and restocking his ammo with some of the boxes on the shelves. He clambered up the ladder and forced the bunker door open, literally hoisting himself up and out of the bunker with surprising speed and closing it and resealing it behind him. He wasn't sure how fast he'd be able to get back he but hoped no one else would try to open the bunker.

He raced back through the large forest, eyeing the dirt road and tracing it back from memory as best he could. He was out of breath, he was panicking, he was getting more and more anxious about finding Stefano.

But why? Wouldn't it just be better to leave the man to die? He was sick and twisted and he wouldn't last more than a day without his powers now.

Wouldn't that be better? ...No. It wouldn't. Sebastian knew better than to exact revenge that wouldn't bring any form of satisfaction. It wasn't worth the effort or the emotional stress. After all, Stefano did provide his suit jacket and his scarf for Lily's sake even if it was only because he threatened the man would lose his other eye if he didn't. Even so, the Italian man could have easily turned a blind eye (no pun intended) and refused to give them anything, and could have just easily accepted death as a result of his stubborn evilness. But something tugged at Sebastian's mind... He had a gut feeling...some odd premonition that Stefano didn't just provide his clothes just because of a threat. Maybe... Maybe he had some concerns about Lily too... No, it couldn't be, right? No, no it wasn't. Sebastian shook off those overwhelming thoughts and gritted his teeth harder as he delved in further in search of the man. There's no way Stefano was...

"STEFANO! STEFANO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WHERE ARE YOU?" Sebastian yelled through the forest, his eyes darting wildly around for the younger man in slight panic. What if someone else got to him before he did? Or a contaminated monster? Even if Stefano was a horrible asshole he owed him for keeping Lily from freezing to death.  
  
Sebastian wheeled around on the spot, confused and now on full alert, a dreadful feeling washing over him as he started to slowly believe the worst may have happened. It wasn't until he heard an angry feral growl and a harsh scream that he stopped all of his panicked thoughts and rushed towards the sound on instinct. Upon bursting out from the thicket he spotted the weakened Italian lying back against a rough and rotten tree, one hand pressed hard against his right eye and the other draped over his torso where a bleeding wound was now seeping blood onto the ground. In front of him a large distorted looking beast, perhaps a deformed wolfish monster, stared back at him with hunger and rage in its eyes. It bared its teeth out at Sebastian and suddenly lunged at him. With swift reflexes he whipped his shotgun off his back and over his shoulder, firing four rounds into the beast's neck. It screeched a horrible cry of death and fell past Sebastian in a heap of blood and meat. Shaken but not deterred, Sebastian then skidded over to kneel down next to the bleeding man, breathing heavily and coughing from lack of oxygen due to the adrenaline rush.  
  
"Stefano! Are you with me? Are you alive? Stay with me, dammit!" He said urgently, looking anxiously concerned, taking one hand and propping the other man up a bit and resting the other on Stefano's shoulder. The Italian managed to gasp a few breaths of air before slowly opening his eye. "Ha....ha... So you... _nngh_...d-did come back... _ggh_...after all..." He said in a faint voice, a small ghostly smirk spread across his face. "What a... _ugh_..pleasant surprise." he said, possibly in a mocking tone but it only came out as a pitiful tease.  
  
The large claw wound started to bleed out more profusely, Sebastian gave a small "fucking shit" and tore a bit of his sleeve off by force with his teeth to press hard on what he could over the wound. "Hold that there, and hang on." He grunted, leaning over and scooping Stefano into his arms bridal style. The younger man coughed and spat out blood. "Ha...Believe me...I am not going anywhere...." he said hoarsely, his voice now a mere whisper and barely strong enough to be any louder.  
  
With that Sebastian hurriedly carried Stefano through the forest again, this time he pressed his companion's head into his chest to keep him from getting scratched up like Lily. He'd have a lot of mending to do on both of them, thankfully it wasn't Lily he left behind for that monster to find. Once he retraced his steps all the way back to the bunker he set Stefano down and re-opened the hatch. He held Stefano with one arm and carefully went down into the bunker. Upon reaching the bottom he rushed to the bunker's beds and set Stefano down on the other open bed. He adjusted his balance after lying Stefano down, both hands planted beside Stefano's head and staring down at the other as he finally had a chance to catch his breath.  
  
"You... You may be a fucking psychopath with a more than enough reason to suffer a death sentence...but I owe you for lending your jacket for Lily..." He managed to say through short inhales and exhales. The younger man snorted a laugh, though that hurt his wound more, and smiled up at the detective. But his smile seemed oddly...fond. As if he were smiling at a hero who just rescued him from a raging dragon. "*La mia più cara gratitudine. You should have left me to die...but I suppose I have underestimated your compassion levels, Castellanos." he chuckled weakly, though in an almost teasing manner.  
  
Stefano slowly reached a hand up and gingerly traced his fingers over the side of Sebastian's face. "*Scemo. Non farmi innamorare di te." He whispered with a soft exhale. "After all you're too tough to start getting soft now." He smirked and let his hand drop down to his side.  
  
Sebastian still didn't understand a damn foreign word he said, but he figured it wasn't anything threatening or malicious. He set to work patching and medicating his wound, wrapping it up and then working to make sure that he was lying flat and without stress. Then he dabbed over Lily's scratches all over her cheeks and forehead with a wet cloth before tucking her back in. After he finished the medical work and both were now resting he walked back into the main room and sat in one of the metal chairs.  
  
  
Well...Now it seemed like he was stuck with Stefano for longer than he'd like, but at the very least he wouldn't be so much of a threat in his current condition. On the other hand, Lily too was a concern to him. He didn't want to leave her in the same room as Stefano, but there were no other rooms in the bunker. Luckily upon investigating the room further he managed to discover a pop-out bunk near the base of a wall with folded sheets and a pillow along with it. He set it up and laid down on the bunk, staring at the ceiling blankly with his arms propping his head head.  
  
He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to handle being stuck with Stefano, but so far as long as nothing dangerous occurred they were safer than they would be anywhere else. And to be fair, looking now at the bigger picture...  
  
  
It was nicer to have company than to be utterly alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Non così in fretta - Not so fast  
> *tesoro - darling  
> *Voglio dire che - I mean it  
> *Mie scuse - My apologies  
> *La mia più cara gratitudine - My dearest gratitude  
> *Scemo. Non farmi innamorare di te. - Fool. Don't make me fall in love with you.
> 
> ((Also not sure when the next chapter will be written so enjoy this one for now? XD ))


	2. The Blind Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't long before Sebastian knew that the only way to get out of STEM now was to find a new extraction point, but he also needs to find a way to contact Kidman. With Lily's safety as a means for immense concern and Stefano's unwanted but necessary companionship, Sebastian finds it difficult to find a middle ground of focus. Fortunately, Stefano is a man of great accomplishments. If Sebastian wants help in finding a way out,
> 
> he'll have to rely on Stefano's cooperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily is a super sweet child QwQ she is she's easy to warm up to

Sebastian couldn't tell whether or not the night had come or if it was still day outside above the bunker. His watch was useless here after all, and he knew full well that time was just a constraint of the mind. He couldn't sleep at all, his conscious still stressing over what had happened at the previous extraction point. Why? He didn't understand a damn thing.  
  
Not only that, now he was stuck with his only remaining nemesis in this hellhole. Stefano hadn't made any sounds of waking up, and neither did Lily which to Sebastian was probably for the best. He needed to think at the moment, and handling either of them wouldn't be good for his brain.  
  
He paced back and forth in the main room, arms crossed and mumbling over and over to himself. He halted every once in a while to mess with his communicator, hoping that Kidman would respond even for a moment. Nothing. Still nothing. He growled furiously and tossed the communicator on his cot. The stress was bad enough already, and not too long ago he had to leave Myra for dead back when he finally rescued Lily. He had little to no time to grieve, and now it was starting to take a very bad toll on him. He gripped the sides of his head in frustration, sitting back down on the cot and leaning forward to rest his head on his knees. It hurt. Everything hurt. He hated it so badly, why wouldn't this all just be some horrific nightmare he could simply just wake up from?  
  
The sound of a mumble snapped him out of his troubled thoughts, glancing up quickly as he realized it meant someone was finally waking up. He lifted himself from the cot and cautiously peered into the backroom where the two were resting.  
  
Lily had sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes and softly yawning from drowsiness. "Dad...?" She said in a groggy voice, looking over at the doorway where Sebastian stood. Upon hearing her voice and knowing she was unharmed, he quickly rushed over to her side in a mix of pure happiness and relief. "Lily! Lily, thank god! Are you okay? Are you feeling alright?" He asked softly, kneeling down next to her bedside and holding her hand with his.  
  
"Huh? I dunno... I feel tired..." Lily responded, her tiny hand lifting to rub her eyes again. Sebastian couldn't help but give a warm smile in response. "That's because you just took a nap, silly." He said, reaching up and patting her head. "But what about physically? Do you feel any aches? Any pain?" He questioned, just to eliminate the possibility of any internal or external damage he may have to worry about.  
  
"I feel...okay. Maybe better." She said with a drowsy nod. "Where's Mommy?"  
  
Sebastian went very silent at that, opening his mouth but not knowing what to tell her. He can't... He can't just tell her that Myra was straight up dead. That would ruin her forever. Then again, the things that Lily had seen here were just as bad. "Honey-" He began, but his sentence was interrupted by the sound of Stefano finally coming to.  
  
"Hey Dad, who's that?" Lily asked, clearly not quite recognizing Stefano yet. Sebastian glanced back and sharply inhaled a breath. "Wait here, sweetheart. Don't move, okay?" He said calmly, squeezing her hand comfortingly before standing up and moving over to where Stefano was sitting up.  
  
"Hn... Well now... I was not confident that I would even be alive." The photographer said with a small exasperated sigh. "How...unfortunate."  
  
"Unfortunate? I fucking went back for you, prick." Sebastian said in a hushed tone, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. "You should be lucky I'm a man of honor and don't just leave people to bleed to death by FUCKING DEMONIC WOLF CREATURES."  
  
"Hey! Language, Dad! Mom would be angry!" Lily called over her father's shoulder, which caused Sebastian to swear silently in embarrassment but gave a small brief smile to his daughter. "Ah, shoot. You're right, Lily. I'm sorry." He said with a gentle tone.  
  
Stefano rolled his eye and rested his arms on his knee, leaning his head to one side as he stared at the detective curiously. "So what now? We are here, mi amico." He said with a coy smile. "Surely you will not consider leaving me alone here with your daughter in this place, or certainly not taking her along out there. Sì?" he tested.  
  
Sebastian gave a cold glare back at the other in response. "Don't get cocky with me, Valentini. My temper point isn't very high." He warned in a thin voice. Stefano merely gave a hollow laughed in response. "I would not dare." He retorted with a mocking tone. "Depends on how easy you snap, however." He smirked, taking in the anger in the detective's face after his words.  
  
"I'm warning you, dammit. You're on thin fucking ice. Don't think that I won't hesitate to leave you for dead this time." Sebastian spat, the Italian giving a small snort of contempt in reply. "Of course." Stefano said faintly.  
  
"Dad...? Don't be mad, please." Lily piped up, catching Sebastian (and Stefano a little) off guard at her kind words. "It's not his fault he's here... I wouldn't want to be here either." she said.  
  
"Lily... This man has done some dangerous things." Sebastian explained, walking over and kneeling down in front of her again. "I can't just leave him to his own devices without supervision."  
  
"But you do dangerous things all the time when you go to work and you don't have anyone watching you, Dad." Lily said softly, possibly confused.  
  
Stefano and Sebastian were both very shocked at her clever remark. It was true, though. Sebastian was no fool, he knew Lily was aware of what risks that came with his job title.  
  
"I... _sigh_.... You're right, Lily. You're right..." Sebastian finally gave in, hanging his head for a moment before looking up at her. "I'm...not mad at him. Just... Frustrated, that's all, sweetie." He explained.  
  
"Okay." Lily smiled. "We won't leave him behind, will we?" She asked.  
  
Now _that_ question caused Sebastian to really fall silent. He stared back at Stefano, who was actually now refusing to look at him by turning away and showing only the side with his long bangs. His daughter's kindness was a blessing and a curse. He heavily sighed and shook his head, looking back at Lily. "No, sweetie. We won't leave him behind." He said, not noticing Stefano had turned his head slightly to stare at them upon hearing this.  
  
"Okay, that's good!" Lily said happily. "I mean, if we left him behind who would protect you?" She asked with pure childish innocence.  
  
That made Sebastian turn a little pink in the cheeks. Stefano? Protecting him too? That sounded wrong on so many levels but coming from Lily it sounded precious as heaven itself. God, she was just too sweet to think of mean things of anyone. Not even someone as insane as Stefano Valentini.  
  
"I guess you're right about that." Sebastian chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Alright then, we'll keep him safe too." He said, hoping that Stefano wouldn't take his assuring comment at face value. "You must be hungry though. I haven't checked what we have here but give me a moment and sit tight." He told her, standing up and planting a kiss on her forehead before exiting the room. He gave Stefano a blank stare at the door though before he ducked out of the room.  
  
Stefano finally let out a strained huff and scooted backwards so his back was flush with the bed rest. He didn't notice until a few seconds into relaxing that he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head slightly to see Lily gawking at him.  
  
"Eh... Is there...something I can help you with, young lady?" Stefano asked awkwardly, keeping his hands folded in his lap politely and doing his best not to freak her out. He was so thankful of his hairstyle and that his grotesque features were under his bangs.  
  
Lily smiled at him brightly and nodded. "What's your name, mister?" She asked. Stefano blinked a few times before looking at the ceiling. "It... It is Stefano. Stefano Valentini." He replied hesitantly.   
  
"That sounds so fancy!" Lily exclaimed with awe. Stefano couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. "Thank you, it is Italian." He told her. "Oooooh! I wish I had a cool fancy name like that!" Lily said. He gave a chortled laugh in response. "Why? You already uphold a very stunning name." He told her. "Castellanos, correct? It sounds foreign and rolls right off the tongue."  
  
"You think so?" Lily said, eyes bright and full of excitement. "Yes, I do. In fact, Lily is a very sweet name as well." Stefano grinned, watching as the little girl's face went brighter and brighter with each compliment.  
  
"Thank you, Mister Stefano!" Lily said with pride, beaming happily at the compliments. He chuckled to himself and shook his head, leaning over and resting his chin on his hand, his arm propped on one knee.  
  
"I managed to find a few rations left here." Sebastian said as he returned into the back room. He walked over to Lily and opened the bag for her and allowed her to take it. He took the other bag and walked over to Stefano. "Here." He said as blankly as possible. "How's your wound?" he asked.  
  
Stefano hesitantly took the bag and opened it, looking at Sebastian briefly before continuing to eat a few of the seasoned potato chunks inside it. "I can still feel the pain." He said bluntly.  
  
"Right..." The detective gave a deep inhale and then gradually let it out. "Now we have to weigh our options..." He sat down on the edge of Stefano's cot and looked at where Lily was munching away on her rations. "We can't leave her alone like this, but we need to keep moving... If my old safe spot isn't able to hold the extraction point it means it's moved somewhere else..." He sighed.  
  
Stefano stared up at the other for a moment before slowly returning to eating his food. The awkward silence was starting to really bother Sebastian now. Whatever happened to the ever rambling photographer? He looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say to his former nemesis now. It seemed too surreal that they were now on the same side of escape.  
  
  
"The stabilization of an extraction point must have moved to another personal location." Stefano finally spoke, catching Sebastian off guard. "I beg your pardon?" He asked the other in confusion.  
  
"The extraction point cannot occur unless there is a stable connection between the safe spot and the person it manifested from." The photographer clarified. "Your connection to this word must have faded after you found your daughter." He said. "Therefore it has moved to another location and stabilized itself to another person still alive in the STEM system."  
  
"But....Who else here is still alive?" Sebastian said, knowing that most of the Mobius team were dead and Father Theodore was never coming back. Myra was also gone, and her safe spot certainly would have been their house before it was destroyed upon her death.  
  
  
"....I'm not sure." Stefano said, glancing at Lily for a moment before returning his gaze to Sebastian. "But...I may have...an idea of where..."  
  
Sebastian turned to fully face Stefano. "I'm listening." He said firmly.  
  
Stefano merely sighed and rolled his eye, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head. "Sebastian...Who else here besides Lily and yourself do you think could possibly form a safe spot of their own?" He asked.  
  
This took Sebastian a moment to gather his thoughts, his mind was swimming in confusion but it wasn't too difficult to figure out what Stefano was referring to.  
  
"No...No way.... You?" Sebastian said both in shock and disbelief. The Italian slowly nodded in response, lifting his hand from his hair and allowing his bangs to fall back into place. "Sì... I do not think I am wrong about this. I had a strong connection, so to speak, with the world that I had created here. Thus I believe...my art studio must be where the extraction point now is."  
  
Sebastian silently gritted his teeth and buried his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees and groaning. "Oh, fucking come on!"  
  
This irked Stefano a tad bit, his eye narrowing at the other. "Is that a bad thing?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.  
  
The photographer's nemesis looked up at him quickly, sensing some kind of unnerving hostility in Stefano that he didn't show for a long while since his defeat. "No...No it's not." He said with a half-irritated sigh. "I'm just...frustrated that it has to be somewhere far away from where we are now. It'll take too long to get there."  
  
"...." Stefano fell silent and went back to eating his rations. Lily had finished hers by then and was watching the exchange between the two men secretly. Now the silence was too unbearable. "We're going to leave together then after we rest up." Sebastian said with a tired expression.  
  
"...You have not rested yet?" Stefano questioned with an eyebrow raised. Sebastian stared at him in confusion at the question. "That's none of your concern." He said roughly. "Is it? Because I recall your daughter stating that you would need protecting and vice versa, and that certainly is not going to bode well for us if you are too weak to even lift a handgun." He said sternly to the detective.  
  
Sebastian lifted himself off from the edge of the bed and glared at Stefano. "I can worry about myself." He said stiffly. "I would not count on it for Lily's sake." Stefano said stubbornly.  
  
"Don't fucking tell me what is and isn't good for Lily, dammit!" He snapped angrily at the other, causing the photographer to flinch visibly. "I don't need someone else to tell me how to handle my family or how to take care of myself!" His boiling point was rising, it wasn't hard to piss Sebastian off after all. Stefano gave a very concerned and rather worried expression, quickly jerking his head in the direction past Sebastian. The detective turned to see Lily looking quite frightened and very distraught.  
  
"Shit-! I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't mean to yell." He said, quickly rushing over and holding her in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad. I'm just...really stressed out, baby." Lily sniffled a little and hugged her father tightly. "Please don't yell at him... He didn't do anything wrong." She said through a few hiccups. "I know, honey, I know, I'm sorry..." Sebastian said, stroking his fingers through her hair to soothe her.  
  
Stefano gave a small sigh and crumpled his bag, setting it on the desktop. Sebastian waited Lily's tears out until she fell asleep again. He sighed and set her back down and tucked her in. By the time he turned back to Stefano's bed the Italian wasn't there.  
  
"What the fuck-?!" Sebastian stood up quickly, glancing around the back room and dashing out into the main room. Luckily, Stefano hadn't left. He was just over by the operational coffee machine and brewing a cup, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed patiently. "Goddammit, Stefano, don't just fucking get up without saying something!" He said with frustration.  
  
Stefano glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "What, so I have to tell you where I am going and what I am doing every single moment?" He said irritably. "YES. THAT'S THE FUCKING POINT." Sebastian snapped and walked over to where he was leaning.  
  
"Tch. You overthink too much." Stefano said, taking the now brewed coffee and holding the mug out to Sebastian. "Keep that up and you will always be scatterbrained no matter how organized you think you may be." He said, Sebastian taking the mug hesitantly before Stefano walked off back into the back room.  
  
The detective stood there staring at the mug of coffee, allowing the other's words to sink in.  
  
He hated when Stefano had a point.  
  
.

.

.  
  
After some time passed Sebastian woke up, realizing he had just fallen asleep in one of the metal chairs. The coffee mug was set on the metal table next to him, and he wasn't certain how long he had been asleep. He shook off the drowsiness and stood up, groggily gripping the chair's back and stumbling a few paces forward. He made his way to the back room to check on Lily, and upon entering noticed she wasn't in her bed.  
  
"Lily?" He asked, glancing over to where Stefano's bed was and noticed she was sitting right on it with Stefano sitting across from her on the edge of the bed, his legs crossed and hands holding his knee. "Ah, detective. I see you are finally awake." He said lightly, Lily smiling at her father and bouncing a little on the bed in excitement. "Dad! Dad! You didn't tell me we were traveling with a real photographer!" She said with a shining expression.  
  
"Huh? Oh...Yeah, uh..." He stared at Stefano, knowing full well that he must have told Lily. "He uh...yeah he's a professional, sweetie." He told her, walking over to Lily and patting her head.  
  
"That's so cool! He said that he used to be out on the field, like you!" She said with eagerness to tell him what she'd learned.  
  
Sebastian stared at Stefano, who seemed to instantly turn his head away from him in response. "I see... Though our field of work is similar our experiences are not the same, Lily." He informed her. "He worked in the military, while I worked in the community as a policeman." He told her.  
  
"Ooooooh, they're not the same thing?" Lily said. "No sweetie, they're not." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But anyhow, we're going to get moving so we should find you some shoes or something to wear." He told her.  
  
"But everyone I've seen so far look bigger than me." Lily said. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out." Sebastian said. "Hold on." He turned and walked off to the main room, finding a small crate of extra padded armor and clothing in it for whoever took cover here. He dug around through it and found a pair of large military boots. He knew they would be too big for Lily but for now they would have to suffice.  
  
"Alright, Lily. Do you think you could manage in these?" Sebastian asked as he walked back inside. Lily moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to Stefano and took the boots, tugging them both on her feet and then hopping down to the ground. She walking a little in them and then glanced up at her father. "They're okay, I guess!" She said with a smile.  
  
"Okay, good. We should start heading out." Sebastian said, taking a quick glance at Stefano who still wasn't looking at him. Geeze.  
  
After they managed to scrap up enough materials and tools to help in their travels Sebastian lifted the bunker hatch and glanced around to make sure it was clear. "Okay, I think we're safe for the time being." He said and lifted himself out of the hatch, reaching down and helping Lily out of it. Stefano followed behind and closed the hatch behind them once he was out.  
  
"Right..." the photographer slowly closed his eyes and focused on detecting the location of his former gallery. The wind blew past the group, Stefano allowing the breeze to sweep his face as he found an inner focus.  
  
Sebastian would be lying if he said that Stefano didn't look damn graceful with the wind blowing his hair like that. He cursed himself in his mind. 'No. That's Stefano Valentini of all people. He's a murderer. Don't think irrational thoughts at a time like this, Sebastian.' his thoughts raged in his mind over and over again.  
  
"This way." Stefano finally said, raising a hand and pointing somewhere beyond the crumbling and broken down city. "It's past the city..."  
  
"Well, let's not waste any time then." Sebastian said, taking Lily's hand and moving forward. "Lead the way."  
  
Stefano gave a curt nod and started to walk forward into the forest area. Sebastian followed behind a good few feet away with Lily close to his side. They pushed past the forest growth for a long while in silence, Stefano actually managing to get ahead a good distance from them. At least far enough from Lily and Sebastian where he couldn't hear them.  
  
"Dad?" Lily asked, glancing up at her father curiously. "Hm? Yeah, Lily?" He asked, staring down at her with a tender smile. "How come you don't like Mister Stefano? I think he's super nice." She said.  
  
Sebastian opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. He wasn't about to go on a tangent about how much he hated the man and about the terrible things he had done to people for the sake of his disgusting "art" displays. "Some people just...don't quite get along, sweetie." He said carefully, trying to choose his words lightly so not to worry her again. "And sometimes that's okay."  
  
"But he seems to like you a bit." Lily said. Sebastian's expression then went to utter confusion. "Huh?" He responded. Exactly what did Stefano talk with her about while he was asleep that time before they left?  
  
"Oh, uh, he said he really admired your strength and your determination." Lily said with a smile, as if talking about this wasn't a big deal at all. "He said you had some guts to come into this place to find me. I told him that you wouldn't leave family behind, and he just laughed and said 'yes that sounds exactly like something he would do' and told me that you were very brave facing him." She said.  
  
Sebastian didn't know what to tell his daughter now. Stefano really thought about him like that? Or was he saying all that just to get on Lily's good side? He wasn't sure, his face was that of pure skepticism. "...I'm sure...he doesn't mean that." He said slowly, not quite willing to believe that.  
  
"Why? He looked like he was being truthful. He said you were unlike anyone he's ever seen even out in war." Lily said. That caught a bit of Sebastian's attention. If Stefano compared his bravery to that of a war soldier then he must have made a big impression on the photographer. "Ha...you think so?" the detective chuckled faintly to his daughter, Lily nodded at that. "Yeah! His face even looked super dreamy like when Mom talked about you." She said.  
  
  
"I'm sorry, what?" Sebastian said, making a double take at what she just said.  
  
"DETECTIVE!" Stefano called from further ahead. "YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!"  
  
Sebastian glanced up and quickly dashed ahead, picking up Lily in his arms to assure she didn't fall over trying to catch up with him. He pushed past the bushes and into a large clearing, only to see ahead of him and Stefano ran a very large river with rapid waters running through it. It cut between their position and the only way towards the city area.  
  
"Ah shit." Sebastian said as he set Lily down. "Just great." He gritted his teeth, glaring at the waters. Stefano looked just as lost as to what to do. "That is not calm enough to swim across or use a raft of any kind." The photographer said with a deep exhale. "What are we to do now?"  
  
Sebastian crossed his arms. "Fuck..." He wasn't sure anymore, this was all just too difficult to comprehend so fast. A quiet and stiff "*Minchia!" caught him off guard. He stared at Stefano who looked just as stressed.

Not only was the water too rapid for them to cross, the liquid itself wasn't even clean enough to possibly consider water. It was grey and murky, bubbles were forming here and there over the surface level. The consistency even flowed heavier and more thick like molten pavement than it did water.  
  
"...Perfect. Fucking perfect." Sebastian growled, studying the river and rubbing the back of his neck. "Now what...?"  
  
Stefano shook his head, placing his hands on his hips as he contemplated what to do now. "I suppose we could follow along the river...see if it leads to a source and cross there. Or perhaps there may be a smaller part that we can cross..." He mumbled, resting a hand under his chin.  
  
Lily glanced around, her eyes scanning their surroundings before quickly tugging on her father's shirt sleeve. "Dad! Look!" She said, pointing down a few yards away from them.  
  
There, a huge grate was attached to the side of a small ledge, barred up but no doubt a sewer tunnel under the huge river.  
  
"That'll do! Nice work, Lily!" Sebastian praised his daughter with a smile. Stefano, on the other hand, grimaced at the thought of walking through a sewer tunnel but he knew they had no other options left.  
  
The small group made their way down the ledge to the grate, Sebastian setting Lily down on the ground and removing his shotgun off his back. "Stand back." He said gruffly, Stefano reaching over and pulling Lily close to his torso, turning himself back-first towards the grate to shield her. Sebastian took aim at the base of each bar and shot them, sparks flying as they came into contact with each bullet. As soon as they were loose enough he kicked it down harshly with his foot. It crashed down onto the cemented tunnel floor, dust rising from the impact and slowly spreading out on the ground. Sebastian waved a hand and coughed a few times before nodding back at the two. "All clear." He said.  
  
Stefano looked back at Sebastian and slowly let Lily go, standing up straight and brushing dust off his sleeves. "Hmph. Always have to make a mess..." He sighed heavily, Sebastian simply rolled his eyes and turned his back to Lily while kneeling on one knee. "Hop on." He told her, Lily climbing up on his back like a koala. He stood up and gave a curt nod to Stefano. The photographer seemed to tightened his jaw a bit before trudging forward into the tunnel entrance.  
  
Sebastian followed behind, but for some reason he had a very odd feeling that this was only the start of a rough journey to the extraction point. It wasn't because of the warped environment, but...  
  
  
deep down some inner voice in him told him he wasn't seeing everything...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Minchia! - Shit!


	3. The Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Stefano have more than a few conflicted thoughts on one another, but is it even possible to reach a compromise? Sebastian is skeptical about trusting his former nemesis despite Lily's confidence in the photographer, but Stefano is starting to realize the changes in his own thoughts and emotions...
> 
> and that terrifies him the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stefano doesn't understand his own emotions :/

There was no source of light in the musty tunnel. Sebastian merely had a singular flashlight as their means of navigating the dark sewers. Though he had no use for it if he was going to carry Lily on his back. At some point when the entrance of the tunnel's light started to fade, he unhooked his flashlight and held it out to Stefano.  
  
"Here. You're going to need this." He said, the Italian looking back at him before taking the tool slowly. Stefano turned back forward and continued down the path, their ankles wading in slick grey water that very much disgusted Stefano. It was ironic though, considering he had seen worse in this world though at this point nothing truly surprised him anymore.  
  
The group traveled further and further in, the walls covered in slime and slippery moss. Cobwebs were strung up along the pipes lining the round walls, the echoing sound of dripping water from the pipes traveled through the tunnel. It was bad enough that they were walking through unsanitary water, but the air was very heavy and almost unbearable. Stefano could feel his vision going a little blurry from the atmosphere, stumbling over himself a few times as they descended into further darkness.  
  
The flashlight itself didn't hold too much brightness, it's battery life was probably used up by Sebastian over time. The dim beam of light didn't travel too far down either, it's depth power also starting to slowly disintegrate into faded light.  
  
"*Cazzo!" He hissed as he smacked the side of the flashlight with the palm of his hand, the light flickering before fixing itself a little. "Should have made certain that this would not fail on us before we decided a sewer tunnel would be a good idea." He said sarcastically, the detective behind him narrowing his eyes at him. "Hey, lay off! It was fine before we came down here." he snapped back. "Just focus on finding an exit in here."  
  
Stefano grumbled and continued to sludge through the grossness, wiping his forehead with the back of his gloved hand from the intense humidity in the tunnels. This was probably not safe to go through either, and he was starting to consider whether they should have just found a way to cross the river instead.  
  
They traveled through the tunnel for what seemed like forever, the tunnel didn't have any other paths and was probably just a straight shot forward. Though even with this as a good sign for not worrying about taking multiple paths or getting lost, the length was tiresome and the air was getting worse as they progressed onward.  
  
"Dad...I can't breathe so well..." Lily said weakly next to her father's head after some time, her chin resting on his shoulder with her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. "Hold on, sweetie, we'll find a way out." He assured her, nudging her cheek with his own.  
  
Stefano didn't look back at the two, but he was starting to feel concerned for the girl's health in this disgusting tunnel as well.  
  
Thinking about it more thoroughly though, he didn't seem to realize that he was _actually_ feeling any kind of worry for the detective's daughter. He never did before, so it was really starting to bother him as to why he was even caring to mind her safety now.  
  
Did it have anything to do with parental instinct? He doubted it, but it wasn't far from being possible. But then again, when had he ever had any feelings of parental feelings? He didn't really have anyone to care about besides Obscura, though she acted more like an overgrown cat than a person he would care for like a child. Or maybe he did, he wasn't sure anymore. His thoughts were too hazy from the extreme humidity to fully focus on any train of thought.  
  
He hadn't even noticed that he had swayed sideways and hit his shoulder hard into the tunnel wall, the impact causing him to snap out of his daze and realize that Sebastian had now caught up to him and had turned him around to look at him.  
  
"Stefano, are you okay? Do you need to take a second?" Sebastian asked, eyebrows furrowed as he studied the photographer's glazed expression.  
  
"I..." Stefano couldn't even utter a single word out of his mouth correctly, eyes focused only on his companion's face. He lifted a hand to grip the side of his head, breathing heavily as he started to feel a headache coming on. He pressed his back close to the tunnel wall, eyes flickering from dizziness. "I do not know..."  
  
Sebastian gave a stressed inhale and glanced around, not seeing a place to rest or anywhere dry for that matter. "Shit...we can't stop now..." He muttered, but there was no other way around it.  
  
He looked back at Lily, considering what he may have to do. "Lily, you don't mind hopping down a moment?" He asked, his daughter nodding as she slid off his back and down onto the murky water. Thank god for the boots.  
  
Sebastian looked back at Stefano, but he was hesitant to even carry out what he thought he may have to resort to. Eventually he decided "fuck it" and glanced back at Lily. "Lily, I need you to do something for me, okay?" He asked, she nodded in response and walked closer to him. "Come over here and hold onto Stefano, alright?" He said, Lily looking over at Stefano and wrapping her arms around Stefano's torso. This seemed to surprise him quite a bit, as he stopped gripping his head and looked down at her in confusion.  
  
Sebastian then leaned down and hooked his arm under the back of Stefano's knees, the other supporting Stefano's back as he whisked them up in a secure bridal-styled hold. He ignored the photographer's startled yelp at the sudden action, clearly having not been prepared for it at all. "Okay, hold tight." He told them as he moved forward slowly but with clear determination to get out.  
  
His unwilling partner squirmed in his arms a bit in objection. "I can walk myself, detective-" he started to argue, but Sebastian rolled his eyes and glared down at Stefano. "No you can't, now shut up and don't move or I might drop you both." he said sternly, leaving Stefano to give a huff of annoyance before stopping his struggling. He sighed, feeling a little useless like this, and instead decided to hold the flashlight for Sebastian so they could keep going.  
  
Sebastian surprisingly still had a lot of stamina, keeping the two of them in his arms while he continued through the tunnel. However, even so he was starting to feel the effects of the tunnel's temperature, straining his eyes to try and keep himself balanced.  
  
Thankfully after what felt like hours a small bit of light started to emerge from further down. Sebastian mustered up the rest of his stamina and strength and forced himself down the rest of the way, the light stinging his eyes as he finally made it out of the sewer tunnel.  
  
.

.

.  
  
  
The first thing that hit him was the blast of fresh, forest air in his lungs. As Sebastian finally exited the tunnel, he quickly pin-pointed a spot of dry land and trudged out of the small stream of murky water and over to the dirt area, finally falling to his knees and dropping Stefano and Lily down onto it before rolling on his back and aggressively breathing in a breath of real oxygen. Stefano held tight to Lily, his own chest heaving from the struggle to breath. Lily stared at Stefano, still hugging onto him like a little baby bat and resting her chin on his chest. "Are you okay?" She whispered, catching the photographer off guard at the sudden question.  
  
"S...Sì, I will be..." He replied to her with a weak, soft smile. "You should worry about your father more, however..." he exhaled out slowly as he sat up sloppily, taking Lily under the arms and setting her to the side. Lily gave a tiny nod and looked over to her father. "Hey Dad, are you okay?" She asked, Sebastian giving a small nod and a thumbs up in response. "Just need to...take a breather." He responded through huffs of air.  
  
Lily sat politely next to them, her gaze turning back to Stefano who was sitting up with his arm resting on one knee. She glanced at the flashlight, noticing that now it was no longer on. Stefano lifted said tool up in the air to examine it before growling a little. "Well _now_ it is dead." he said with a sigh.  
  
Sebastian gave a grunt of annoyance. "We made it, didn't we?" he said, turning his head to look at the other man. "It doesn't matter anymore."  
  
Stefano had half a mind to throw the flashlight at his face, but he thought otherwise as he was a proper man with etiquette that had better self control than that. He set the flashlight down and looked over at Lily. "How about you, young lady? Are you feeling alright?" He asked her as politely as possible without sounding completely exhausted, which was difficult.  
  
She smiled in response and nodded. "I'm okay! Thank you for asking!" she said, her pure positive energy almost brought a chuckle out of the Italian. "*Molto bene." He said with a softer smile. "Let us hope you stay that way." he said, reaching over and ruffling her hair a little. She giggled in response, neither of them really noticing that Sebastian was watching the exchange from the corner of his eyes.  
  
After a moment's rest Sebastian hoisted himself to sit upright, resting his arms on his thighs as he gathers his thoughts together with a clear mind. "Alright...I don't know why that tunnel was longer than the river's width but whatever. We're across now and need to find a way past the city." he said.  
  
Lily raised a hand up to get his attention, causing him to look up at her curiously. "Yes Lily?" He asked, keeping his voice mellow for her sake and also to convince himself to ignore his own stress.  
  
"I need to go to the bathroom..." She says quietly with a tiny embarrassed expression. Sebastian blinks a few times but nods to her with a smile. "It's okay sweetie, there's no need to be ashamed." he told her. "Hopefully there's a good area around here we could find..." he said, finally getting up to his feet and holding out a hand. He looked over at Stefano, who seemed to get the message and shrugged. "I will remain here until you return." the photographer assured Lily, her face lighting up a bit knowing he would be leaving them. "Okay!" She said, following her father a good distance away from where they were previously.  
  
The two walked up a small hill, finding a good shaded spot with a lot of trees and shrubbery scattering around. "Okay, sweetie, go ahead and I'll wait for you at the bottom of the hill. Alright?" he said, his daughter nodding before scooting off to a spot with a good amount of bushes. Sebastian turned back and carefully trekked back down the hill, walking back to where Stefano was still sitting before sitting as well a foot away from him.  
  
The two sort of sat in utter silence now, neither looking at each other or attempting to start any kind of conversation.  
  
Stefano rested both arms on his knee and laid his chin on them, staring off into the distant forest in silence. Now that he was in a good spot of fresh air he was able to recall his thoughts from before.  
  
Did he really truly have deep concern for Lily's well being? Or was that just his humanity trying to reform him? Thinking more clearly now, _did_ he have any humanity left in him? He gave a small, sharp huff out of his nose, his bottom lip sticking out a bit in a slight pouty manner. He just didn't understand himself much anymore, before this he was able to comprehend his feelings better in his delusional state of mind. But did he really have a good grasp of his feeling then too? It wasn't like he cared about either or them or the detective, right?  
  
His mind explored that thought a little more, his thoughts soon landing back on Obscura. His dear, sweet Obscura... He found an odd feeling deep in his chest... a very tight and uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't sure he had felt in years.  
  
He missed her presence. He wished that she was here by his side to keep him company. Her majestic (in his eyes) form and massive strength, her ability to capture the most marvelous of photos that he had ever seen.  
  
He remembered so much of her, more than the other victim that he had used to make up Obscura's body, but now she was a faint memory. He didn't know if it was even possible to recall her now even if he had his powers back. Hell, he wasn't sure if she was even still alive after Sebastian had subdued her. Even before Mobius or STEM, he cared about her like she was his own family...a daughter...  
  
It wasn't until he felt a thumb lightly wiping away the tear that was falling down his cheek that he realized he was physically streaming tears down his only eye left. Stefano flinched suddenly upon realization and jerked his attention towards Sebastian, whose arm was extended and hand near his cheek.   
  
"Sorry, you were... Uh..." Sebastian himself didn't even seem to know what he was doing or why. The two just stared at each other in awkward silence trying to figure out what the hell they were even doing.  
  
Stefano quickly snapped out of their staring daze and lightly smacked Sebastian's hand away with the back of his hand. "You...do not need to do something so unnecessary." he said with a irritable huff. "Imbecile..."  
  
The detective in turn let out a frustrated sigh, lowering his hand and giving Stefano a stern glare. "Then what the fuck is _this_ all about? You're suddenly crying like a teenage girl for no reason? What's that about then, huh?" he prompted firmly, clearly not about to let this topic go.  
  
"It is not any of your concern." Stefano said stiffly, eye narrowed suspiciously at the other. "You need not involve yourself in personal demons that are not your own."  
  
"Well these "personal demons" need to fucking go if we're going to get the hell outta here." Sebastian snapped back, hands now curled into fists as he seemed to already be drawing closer to losing his patience with Stefano. "Either spit it out or get over it."  
  
"Ha! You say that like it is something that can easily be treated with a syringe." the photographer spat sarcastically with clear aversion to talking about it. Especially with someone like Sebastian Castellanos, who of all things was his nemesis and the one who took away everything he had created. "Not every problem can be solved with a snap of the fingers, Detective."  
  
"Then fucking figure it out!" Sebastian snarled, his temper was rising more and more on the brink of breaking and he didn't have the patience for this. "We don't have the time to be mulling over inner demons!"  
  
"Then don't ask and I will simply shut up!" Stefano retorted, feeling his own temperament being horribly tested. "Insensitive *figlio di puttana!"  
  
"What the FUCK did you just call me?!" Sebastian growled, having had no experience with Italian language whatsoever. The two of them glaring at each other with pure hatred and spite.  
  
Just as it seemed like the two would resort to fist-fighting each other, a shrilling ear-piercing scream echoed through the forest. Sebastian immediately turned back at the direction he left Lily, his face pale with instant panic, and Stefano's expression going just as dark as well. "LILY!" He called out and quickly scrambled to his feet and darting back through the forest faster than Stefano had ever seen him run. Stefano forced himself to his feet as well and dashed after him as quickly as possible with just as much drive.  
  
He would never admit it, but he really feared for Lily's safety. His heart was racing so fast he may as well be running for cardio. His mind was in a state of intense concern...  
  
but also the instinct to fight back whatever had attacked her...  
  


.

.

.

  
Sebastian burst through the woods around him, harshly pushing everything out of his way and quite literally clawing his way up the hill. He stumbled out into the shaded area, looking wildly around as he tried to locate where the scream came from. Stefano wasn't too far behind and rushed from out of the forest, running right into Sebastian's back and grunting as the wind was knocked out of him a bit. Sebastian didn't even pay him any mind, he was too panicked about Lily to care about being shoved forward.  
  
"LILY! LILY, WHERE ARE YOU!?" he shouted in a distressing voice, his eyes darting wildly as he searched for any signs of struggle or any markings to indicate where she was taken. Stefano stepped into the shaded clearing a bit, glancing around before his eyes fell on some boot prints in the dirt hidden slightly under some bushes. "There." he said firmly, the two of them hurriedly following the tracks that seemed to drag due to the size being too big for such a small girl.  
  
Surprisingly, Stefano seemed to be running much faster and with more desperation than Sebastian, which caught him by surprise considering he didn't understand why he was even caring this much. Though once Sebastian managed to run up side by side with the Italian he was shocked to see that he displayed the same state of dread and panic on his face.  
  
The trail lead up to a vast clearing with a massive, cloudy lake in front of them. There, somewhere past the lake, Lily was being held by the arm by a white hooded figure. No... It wasn't tall enough to be Ruvik. It wasn't even short enough to be Myra. Then who...  
  
  
  
"No... It... It can't be... Leslie...?" Sebastian spoke in a trembling voice, Stefano quickly looking at him in confusion as to who he was talking about.  
  
  
The hoodie figure raised it's head, a pair of piercing grey eyes stared back at them in a blank expression and no emotion. He turned on his heel, dragging Lily away by the arm who was screaming and crying out to the two.  
  
"DADDY! MISTER STEFANO! HELP!" She struggled against the hold on her arm but it was no use. Then in a wisp of smoke the two of them disappeared instantly, leaving white smoldering dust in it's wake. Her echoed scream remained as an echo as she was phase away and disappeared.  
  
"LILY! NO! **DAMMIT**!" Sebastian dropped to his knees, punching the ground hard with his fist consistently. Stefano glared after where the hooded figure had been, then stared down at Sebastian and slowly kneeling down beside him. He contemplated whether to comfort him or not for a moment before his conscious forced him otherwise. "We won't let him get away with her. We'll find her." He told Sebastian, keeping his voice as level as possible.  
  
"Fuck fuck fuck! How the hell did he even get in here? He left the fucking system years ago! **WHY GODDAMMIT!?** " Sebastian snarled angrily and punched the ground again, this time aggravating the bruises that were already on his knuckles from before and causing blood to coat the ground he was impacting. Stefano gave a small annoyed huff and snagged his wrist with a hand quickly before he could do any further damage.  
  
"Stop that. You're only hurting yourself worse than you should." the photographer scolded with a sharp tone, his face full of concern and sternness. "Beating up the ground isn't going to help save her."  
  
"I don't need your _fucking_ -" Sebastian started to snarl, turning his face in Stefano's direction before immediately falling upon seeing his expression. "...I'm sorry..." he said with a shaky exhale, keeping his eyes downward to the ground to avoid the other's gaze.  
  
Stefano let out a soft sigh and calmly let go of Sebastian's wrist, laying it on the ground and moving his hand up to Sebastian's cheek and turning his head to look at him squarely in the eyes. "Sebastian. We _will_ find her. It is inconceivable to give in now." He said, something reflecting in his eyes that seemed to make Sebastian both reassured and slightly confused.  
  
"I-...I know..." the detective said finally with a more steady tone. "I know that... It's just... we're so close... And now she's gone again."  
  
Even though Stefano still didn't know who this "Leslie" person was, it frankly didn't seem to matter in his mind at the time. He let his hand fall away from Sebastian's cheek, sitting back to let the man have a moment. Sebastian took a few minutes to get out his aggression through sharp breathing before taking one last deep breath and sitting up. "Okay... Let's go..." He said, a familiar stubborn determination painted on his rough features.  
  
Stefano couldn't help but give a small smirk from the familiarity. " _There_ is the insufferable detective I know." He said in amusement, causing Sebastian to give a scoff of humorous acknowledgement before lightly shoving Stefano's arm. "Shut up and get moving." He said, hoisting himself off the ground and dusting himself off. Stefano did the same and glanced off across the lake where the hooded figure once stood.  
  
"If we must... Let us walk along the edge, I would rather avoid having to go through those waters..." the Italian said, a shiver went down his spine just thinking about what could possibly be lurking in those opaque waters.  
  
"Yeah...Yeah... Okay..." Sebastian said slowly, trying to audibly motivate himself to get moving. The two started to walk along the side in silence, Sebastian with his handgun drawn and Stefano with his knife in hand.  
  
  
  
They were going to find that hooded lunatic and save Lily if it was the last thing they did alive... That they could both agree on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cazzo! - Fuck!  
> *Molto bene - Very good  
> *figlio di puttana! - son of a bitch!


	4. The Duality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lily hostage by Leslie Withers as the newly discovered hooded figure, Sebastian and Stefano have to work together to get her back. While the two of them are not on the same page, they have the same goal in mind. But Stefano still cannot comprehend his evolving emotions. Shouldn't he be ignorant towards Sebastian and Lily's well-being? Could it be...
> 
> that he no longer hates Sebastian?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both of them go through a lot of harsh emotions together, it's a real rollercoaster QwQ maaaaaybe some flirting ensues
> 
> Also, I don't plan for this fanfiction to be super extensive like over 20 chapters or something, I want to try and make it short and sweet as much as possible. Or who knows, maybe it'll last depending on how many scenarios I can come up with :P

The size of the lake started to seem more and more vast than either of them had anticipated. From where they last stood before Lily was taken, the length across didn't seem that far away. Looking now, it seemed like it was quite a walk from there to the other side. Sebastian didn't utter a single word to Stefano as they made their way around, and Stefano wasn't confidant enough to encourage one. All they could do was focus on making it over so they could decide their next move.  
  
The wind blew more now that they were near a body of water. The breeze felt nice on Stefano's face and he could feel it's flow as if it were going through him. He closed his eyes for a moment, to let the feeling take wing for a short while as he walked on. Sebastian glanced over at him briefly while he was in his state of trance.  
  
There may have not been any direct light, but a soft white glow was throwing light on both the lake and Stefano's face. It reflected radiantly off the top of the water and defined Stefano's features quite beautifully. Sebastian would have bit his tongue if he so much as dared to vocalize a compliment of any kind.  
  
And why would he? Why was that even a thought going through his mind? Stefano of all people? Does he _deserve_ a compliment? Then again he was already hating the silence as he did before, the awkwardness never sat well with him.   
  
"You, uh... You look really relaxed..." Sebastian managed to say. Well, not a compliment but it was something worth saying at least.  
  
Stefano paused for a second and stared back at him in confusion. "Do I?" he said with a faint smile. "Perhaps it is just the nature around us... It may be hostile but it serves it's fair share of beauty." He said as his eyes captured the scenery in the area. "After all, STEM was supposed to serve as an advanced connection for human society. Nature is an important part of creating such an environment."  
  
Sebastian huffed in brief contempt. "I would barely call this nature." He said scornfully. "It's nothing close to what a real human environment should be."  
  
Stefano fell silent again at that, causing the detective to realize that was probably a conversation killer. "But... I guess it does have some of it's influence." He said hesitantly, the Italian giving a swift glance before falling his gaze back ahead at the path before them.  
  
"You do not need to lie to keep up appearances, Detective. I sense that you do not care much for this place." Stefano said with a dull tone.  
  
"That's not-! ...No, you're right..." Sebastian gave a short scoff at himself. "Why the fuck would I try to even act like I like this place when I don't? I've never liked this damn messed up system ever since Beacon..." He muttered in annoyance at his stupid attempt at a facade.  
  
The photographer remained quiet for a few moments before looking back at the other. "You... You have already been here before, have you not?" He asked Sebastian with a weary stare. "That is why...you knew Lily's captor... You have met him before."  
  
Sebastian opened his mouth, possibly to deny the claim, but like before it was no use making up lies for the truth that was already quite clear to the other. "Yeah...I have met him already... This whole thing... STEM... It was created by this fucking lunatic doctor and his pupil, Ruben Victoriano." He said, recalling his horrendous memories of what he had witnessed and experienced at Beacon. "He was...He was trying to find the perfect vessel to escape the STEM system...and that boy you just saw...Leslie Withers... He was the perfect host. Or so Ruben stated in his memories anyway..." he huffed.  
  
Stefano didn't make any eye contact, but he allowed this new information to sink in. "So...That boy Leslie...is here...how?" He asked skeptically, Sebastian only giving a low growl in response at thinking about it. "Hell if I goddamn know. Leslie shouldn't even be able to get in unless someone outside in Mobius hooked him up to the machines." He replied in a monotone.  
  
"...But what about Ruben? How did he even involve himself with you in Beacon?" Stefano questioned, not quite understanding what Sebastian had meant by "vessel" from earlier.  
  
"Oh shit, I forgot to mention... Ruben, well Ruvik they called him, was a main contributor in discovering how to link minds together. Most of what Mobius achieved was based upon his research. But they took his work from him and played it as their own. They made a monstrosity out of what was left of him... They... They peeled his outer body away from him...and left nothing but a fucking brain behind...hooking it up to their twisted machines." He snarled mostly to himself, Stefano could sense the hostile tone that was starting to emerge.  
  
"So then... His mind.. If it was hooked to the STEM system, it must mean he was in hiding the whole time...in the system... waiting for the perfect host to enter so he could take it...and escape?" Stefano said as he pieced the rest together.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much.. But that still leaves me confused why _Leslie_ is here." Sebastian said with an irritated scowl. "It doesn't make any sense!"  
  
Stefano blinked a few times and tilted his head a bit. "It does to me." He said blankly, causing Sebastian to look over at him in sudden confusion. "How...How do you figure?" He asked the photographer.  
  
With a feeble laugh, Stefano shook his head and gave the other a hollow smile. "Well he did it before. He could do it again." Stefano replied.  
  
"Do what again? Leave his conscious in the system?" Sebastian said, but upon speaking his theory verbally he instantly realized what he had purposed. "Oh fuck..."  
  
"Mhm. I assume this means that he took a part of that boy Leslie's conscious in with him and created an image to use here in STEM. An avatar if you will." Stefano said with a small nod of confirmation. "I would not be surprised if that is the case. It makes sense based on what you have told me..."  
  
Sebastian ran a hand through his messy hair, looking both bewildered and infuriated. "Fucking dammit, I can never fucking escape him, can I?!" He snarled and glared at the ground in fury. "He'll just keep haunting me forever won't he, the son of a bitch!"  
  
Stefano suppressed a laugh at the other's anger. "Now now, Detective, we cannot be having a temper when we have Lily's safety to focus on." He warned lightly.  
  
The other gave a shaky sigh and nodded, taking his hand and staring at it before growling and moving onward a few paces ahead of Stefano.  
  
Watching Sebastian, Stefano's amused expression slowly faded into that of deep contemplation and concern. He wasn't sure what kind of fury Sebastian was capable of, and he was sure that whoever Leslie truly was wouldn't stand a chance against an angry father. He couldn't help but admire his parental determination to protect his daughter, and he somehow knew he felt the same way for reasons he still didn't understand himself.  
  
Why was he feeling this way? Why did he care so much about the girl? He used to see her as an object of stability for the world he wanted to create his art in, but now... now he seemed to see her as a real **_person_**.  
  
His eyes fell on Sebastian's back, unconsciously trailing his eyes over the strong shoulder blades and his wide frame. His gaze falling on the muscles in his arms and the rough features of his body. He was strong, and he could tell from when they first met that Sebastian was a man who never took failure as an option. He admired that...he could see a little of his own self in Sebastian...  
  
Oh, if only Stefano had a mirror to look in. He would have seen that his cheeks were a soft rosy pink just pondering about Sebastian's determination. He could guess well that he was a good father and husband, his mind wondering how lucky that woman Myra must have been to have had a man like that in her life. It almost made him jealous, but then again he felt somewhat guilty for envying a dead woman.   
  
But at that same moment he shook off those daydreaming thoughts and realized how stupid that actually was. Jealous? Of Sebastian's dead wife? Over what? And for why?  
  
He dreaded to even consider... Did he... Was he really...? Was it possible that... he might not hate Sebastian as much as he used to before?  
  
Suddenly he stopped walking, and it took Sebastian a few more paces ahead to realize that the photographer wasn't following him anymore. He turned around and stared at Stefano in confusion. "Hey, you good there?" He called back, turning and walking back over in front of Stefano.  
  
The Italian opened his mouth but no words came out. His mind had suddenly drawn a blank and had no idea what to tell the other. His face began to turn a deep shade of red as he realized how stupid this all was. "N..Nothing.." He struggled to say, his voice seeming to tremble slightly upon not knowing what to say. This was ludicrous! He shouldn't be thinking such things!  
  
"Uh...You sure about that? You don't look so good." Sebastian said sternly, reaching out and pressing the palm of his hand to Stefano's forehead. But not a second after he had done so Stefano smacked his hand away swiftly with a look of what could only be described as disbelief. "I-...I'm fine." He said with a blunt tone, trying to avoid any emphasis on what he was thinking about.  
  
"Bull fucking shit, don't start _this_ again." Sebastian said with annoyance, crossing his arms and glaring at the Italian. "If I'm allowed to talk about Beacon you should able to spill what the hell is going on with you. Now talk." He said, his voice bordering on snapping worse than what he was holding back now.  
  
"Detective, I do not need to say this again. It is none of your concern." Stefano replied with just as much snarky irritation, his flustered demeanor being swiftly replaced. "Push all you want, I do not owe you an answer."  
  
"Oh you don't, do you? Do you really want to fucking piss me off more than I already am? Because I'm very fucking close to losing my damn patience, seriously I'm at my fucking limit." Sebastian warned with a thin tone, his eyes narrowing even more in retaliation.  
  
"Perhaps I do, with the way you are acting." Stefano hissed. "Who knows, maybe you will grow some balls and learn to cease your hot tempered behavior for one damn second." His language starting to become less dignified and more taunting.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, is my concern for Lily's safety or your mental health _bothering_ you?" Sebastian snapped back, now his breaking point was crumbling to nothing. "Are you going to start lecturing me about how to keep my own daughter safe again like you did before?"  
  
"Don't you dare bring that up again, Castellanos." Stefano growled angrily, now fully pissed off. "You couldn't keep your head on your shoulders if it was severed off."  
  
" **MY** head?! You're the one stopping in the middle of walking and acting like everything is fucking fine and dandy when clearly you've got something on your mind that you think you're _too_ good to discuss with even _**ONE**_ person!"  
  
"Funny, because this is the exact reckless attitude that got Lily taken in the first place!" Stefano shot back, his vexation no longer seething.  
  
"EXCUSE ME?!" Sebastian roared, now fully in "angry cop" mode. "WHAT _LESLIE_ DID WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL! DON'T CHANGE THE FUCKING SUBJECT!"  
  
" _Change_ the subject? This is more than relevant to what is going on right now!" Stefano gave an offended glare. "You are too disorganized and stubborn to even get a single thought out in a civilized manner!"  
  
"OH, LIKE _I'M_ THE ONE WHO CAN'T GET MY THOUGHTS STRAIGHT?" Sebastian bellowed, face red from the intense anger he was fueled with. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S ACTING LIKE EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS OUT TO GET YOU! YOU ACT LIKE A SELF ABSORBED PRICK WHO'S AFRAID OF GETTING HURT! **WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FUCKING SUCK IT UP AND STOP ACTING LIKE EVEN THE SMALLEST FLAW WILL TARNISH YOU PERFECT LITTLE WORLD?!** " he finally lashed out.  
  
Sebastian would have physically AND mentally slapped himself hard after seeing the look of pure hurt on Stefano's face. He averted his eyes immediately and covered his hand over his mouth. "Shit..." He muttered, realizing his awful mistake.   
  
"Stefano...I...I didn't mean that..." He said, glaring at the ground and hating himself more than he probably ever had before in his life. "I'm sorry."  
  
The photographer rubbed his arm with a hand, staring off at the lake's glistening surface in silence. "....."  
  
"...Dammit... I really _can't_ keep my temper under control, huh?" Sebastian said with a sarcastic laugh. "You're right... It _is_ my fault that Lily was vulnerable. I should have... I...should have been there..." He said, voice starting to break as he spoke.  
  
"No. No, it... It is not your fault. That was insensitive of me." Stefano scoffed, his eyes glancing at Sebastian briefly before looking away again. It was rare for Stefano to admit his flaws, and his acceptance of his mistake meant he was being genuine. "There was nothing we could have done to anticipate what happened. You are not at fault, Sebastian."  
  
"But...I could have-"  
  
"No, you could not have. Stop that. You are lowering yourself into a deeper pit of guilt if you do this." Stefano said firmly, eyes now directly making eye contact with Sebastian. "It. Is. Not. Your. Fault."  
  
Sebastian struggled to respond but instead he started to slowly break down into tears. Stefano sighed softly and stepped closer until he was a half a foot from Sebastian. He lifted his hands and cupped Sebastian's face in them. "You have the right to be in such pain...in anger and outrage..." He told the detective in a hushed, soothing tone. "You have suffered enough... Perhaps if I were still the man I was I would have wished that suffering upon you... But... Not anymore." He gave a shaky exhale, pressing his forehead up to Sebastian's. "You are a good man and a good father... You are just trying to do the right thing..."  
  
Sebastian slowly raised his eyes to stare at Stefano's face, studying the other's features as he took Stefano's words to heart. Stefano was...radiant...elegant even... He was clearly a classy man, always had been it seemed. He wasn't sure that Stefano was even capable of this kind of sentiment, but it didn't matter to Sebastian anymore. He needed the comfort. He didn't even know he needed this for so long during his time in this hell... He lifted his hands and pressed Stefano's palms to his face, his gaze locked onto the Italian's.  
  
Handsome hazel eyes met stunning robin blue. Suddenly he felt at ease, as if all of his conflicts and struggles were disappearing for a moment.  
  
A moment was all he needed.  
  
He could feel something drawing himself to hold Stefano...to keep him close and never let go. He didn't understand it at all, but he didn't need to worry about it now. He could question himself later.  
  
Slowly, Sebastian moved forward to stand closer to Stefano. The photographer hesitantly moved back a bit on instinct, clearly unsure of what to do or if he even wanted this to happen. But Sebastian was adamant that this feeling... This need for comfort... Something he had been suppressing... He needed to get it out _now_.  
  
He moved his hands down and wrapped his arms around Stefano's waist, pulling the other closer until their bodies were flush against one another's. Stefano gave a faint gasp of surprise, his hands falling to rest on Sebastian's arms. He gave an uncertain glance at their position before looking nervously back up at Sebastian. It was odd that Stefano was acting so timid, but maybe this was just his human emotions possibly returning after having been in madness for so long.  
  
Sebastian hesitated for a while, not sure about what to do. It wasn't until the photographer gave a small, shaky exhale that he snapped out of his daze. "Just...for a second..." Sebastian managed to say. "Just stay like this." Stefano nodded and the two quietly stood there together, letting the silent breeze blow past them as they shared a moment of pure silence.  
  
The conflicts around them could wait. It was more than clear that Sebastian never had a time to embrace a moment to himself. Even though this moment was with Stefano of all people, it was better than suffering by himself.  
  
After a good few minutes of solid quiet the two stepped away from each other simultaneously, though not on purpose. "So, uh..." Sebastian started to say, but Stefano waved a hand dismissively at him. "Do not fret on it, let us keep moving and worry not about trivial quarrels." the Italian said with a huff.  
  
Stefano turned and continued to walk forward along the lake, Sebastian shaking his head and sighing though agreeing that this was not the time to be having complicated conversations. He followed along by Stefano's side, though his mind wandered off a bit.  
  
For Stefano to actually stop for a moment and make himself emotionally vulnerable even for a second... It started to make Sebastian wonder...  
  
Was there truly some humanity lying dormant left in Stefano...?  
  
.

.

.  
  
Luckily for them it didn't take _too_ long to make it to the other side of the lake. Stefano walked a few paces ahead of Sebastian, swiftly glancing around for any signs of where Leslie may have gone. Sebastian held tight to his handgun, narrowing his eyes and focusing on trying to locate them.  
  
"Be careful... Even though this place isn't attached to his mind anymore he may still have some influence here." Sebastian warned, Stefano giving a curt nod and keeping his knife raised on guard.  
  
They carefully walked beyond the lake, staying a foot apart from each other with their backs turned towards each other to cover one another. It was wise to avoid any opportunities for an ambush, after all.  
  
Sebastian stopped for a moment, looking back at Stefano as he made a grunt to catch the other's attention. "You hear that...?" He asked the photographer, Stefano remaining silent and straining his ears to listen. "...I do..."  
  
"More of those undead fuckers..." Sebastian growled, hearing that it was coming from beyond the forest and over a valley from a distance. "We must be close to the outside of the city then..."  
  
Stefano glanced at him discretely in response. This meant they were a few steps closer to his art gallery... But...  
  
For some reason...he was unsure about actually _wanting_ to go back there. But... he didn't know why.   
  
"Okay...Okay... We may either have to sneak by them or dispose of them by force." Sebastian told him, pulling Stefano out of his thoughts. "Ah, sì, of course..." the photographer replied with a subtle nod.  
  
The two proceeded carefully up the slope of the valley, keeping themselves low so not to alert any enemies that might be nearby. As soon as they were close enough to the empty neighborhood they crouched behind some plastic storage boxes next to the closest house.  
  
"Sebastian, look." Stefano whispered, gesturing with his eyes to a point somewhere beyond the end of the street. There, Leslie seemed to be dragging Lily off towards the city area. It wasn't clear what exactly he intended to do with her, but Stefano had a very good idea of what.  
  
"He must be thinking of what Father Theodore and I had when we learned of her power too... He must be trying to obtain her power as the core." Stefano said, narrowing his eyes. Sebastian stared at him for a moment before focusing his attention off to where Leslie and Lily had been. "You're right... He probably wants revenge on Mobius by taking over this updated revision of STEM's system too..." The detective said with a irritable hiss.  
  
"Well then, we should not keep him waiting." Stefano said with a sly smirk, crouching a bit and sneaking past some of the undead and behind the house. Sebastian was rather impressed by the other's immediate course of action. He didn't expect Stefano to be afraid of these monsters after all, but he also didn't expect him to take initiative and make the first move.  
  
Sebastian quickly crouched down and followed after him, careful not to make any sounds as he too passed a couple of undead. Once they were both behind the house they kept their backs to the wall and moved along the building. They continued to do this to the next few houses, trying to remain undetected and quiet as they possibly could. Sebastian eventually caught up next to Stefano by the seventh house down.   
  
"How far are we from the main city?" He whispered over to Stefano. The other peered around the corner of the house and then looked back to Sebastian. "At least a half a block left to go, then we may be in the clear here..." He responded back quietly. "I cannot promise that there will not be any enemies around in the main city as well though...."  
  
Sebastian could only give a grunt at that. "Yeah... Can't ever fucking loose these sons of bitches." He grumbled irritably, receiving a brief "tsk" from Stefano as a response. "Do not get so casual with those profanities, Detective~. We would not want Lily to be subject to hearing those if you slip up, do we?" He said in amusement. Sebastian raised an eyebrow and gave a small sneering smirk.  
  
"That so? You suddenly care about Lily hearing a swear word now?" he said with a snort of laughter, leaning close to Stefano's face. "I could say much worse, you know, and I'm not limited to just that kind of dirty talk either."  
  
Stefano glanced back at him with a mock skeptical stare to humor him. "Oh really? Getting a little bold there, are you?" He teased, smiling coyly at the other.  
  
"What, are you testing me?" Sebastian huffed. "I'm not going to back down if you are."  
  
"Here? You wouldn't dare. Enemies could hear us." Stefano said with a light scoff.  
  
"Like I said before, is that a fucking challenge? Because if it is, I'm not afraid to take it." the detective replied slyly, leaning closer to Stefano until their faces were almost two inches apart.  
  
"Sebas-" Stefano started to speak, but Sebastian had leaned forward to his ear and whispered something before he could speak. Then his entire face lit up a bright red and was unable to form a verbal response.  
  
"I said I wasn't afraid to back down." Sebastian said with a smug smile, it kinda looked sexy as hell.  
  
"You- that's-" Stefano still wasn't able to speak properly after that, his face in a mix expression of flustered embarrassment and confusion. "I despise you very much, Castellanos." He finally said with a huff, turning away and keeping his face from Sebastian's view. The detective only gave a gruff chuckle in amusement at this reaction.  
  
Stefano scoffed at the other's amusement and snuck forward to the next house, Sebastian following behind with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.  
  
"Do not think this means you have gotten the better of me." Stefano said with a stubborn exhale, glancing back at the detective with a displeased expression. Sebastian gave a cocky grin in response. "You sure 'bout that, Stefano?" He asked. "Your face is telling me otherwise."  
  
"Do not patronize me, Detective Castella-" Stefano grumbled, unfortunately too distracted by Sebastian's teasing to notice that he had stopped midway between the house they were behind to the next. An undead noticed Stefano and screeched loudly, running towards their direction.  
  
"*Merda!" Stefano growled in annoyance, his attention swiftly turning to the oncoming enemy. He raised his knife and threw it quickly at the enemy, hitting it squarely in the head. Sebastian ran to catch up to Stefano and aimed his gun just in case the knife didn't kill the undead.  
  
Stefano sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, walking casually up to the enemy lying on the ground and yanking his knife out of it's head roughly.  
  
Thankfully the zombie didn't move, indicating that it was fully dead. Stefano scoffed and kicked it in the head with his shoe before turning back to Sebastian. "As I said, do not think you can get the better of me" He reiterated smoothly, flashing Sebastian a snarky smile.   
  
"You fucking cheeky bastard." Sebastian retorted with a grunt, smiling back and lowering his handgun.  
  
"Come now, Detective. Let us allow nothing else to distract us." Stefano said with a shake of his head, smiling as he strode past the other and continuing to the back of the houses.  
  
Damn, he was quite the sassy Italian. But fuck if he wasn't attractive like that. Sebastian internally questioned his motivations though. It was so...odd. It wasn't something that Sebastian would have ever anticipated: teaming up with his former nemesis, actually flirting a little,  
  
engaging in each other's company in mere silence for comfort...  
  
  
  
For Sebastian, the duality of it all would be something he'd have to understand soon... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Merda! - *Shit!


	5. The Eye Awakens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stefano made up his mind: he would rather give up his fabricated world to help Sebastian and Lily escape than let the likes of Leslie Withers, the new Ruvik, obtain the core power and reclaim control over STEM. Though he knows he cannot do much on his own to help Sebastian, nor does he have his special abilities and powers in order to protect them...
> 
> But someone else does, and it's time that they finally pass their determination to protect to Stefano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooooh big angst is going to happen! Big big angst is going to happen! OoO
> 
> We may be close to the end, who knows? If this series seems too short I apologize, I didn't intend it to have lots of chapters

The cracked pavement underneath Stefano's shoes were broken unevenly, his balance a little bit difficult to regain once they were out of the neighborhood and closer to the larger streets leading to the city.  
  
He'd have been wrong if he said that the city was anything like the real world. Even before Union disastrously fell apart, the environment never truly ever seemed to reflect a real human society in the first place. It unnerved him quite a lot after he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to see what a disappointment the results of accepting said opportunity ultimately was.  
  
Stefano was clearly a man of standards, his visions of art (in his mind) were higher than that of a lowlife pedestrian, and he took it to heart. What they had created was an enormous waste of their talents and potentials. At least to him. In fact, if he had been recruited blind and with no knowledge of what STEM had intended to be, he never would have allowed himself to join the experiment as a test subject in the first place.  
  
Dust lightly blew across the barren paved road as the photographer and detective walked together in silence, working their way towards the main city. Stefano's mind still lingered on understanding what his purpose was _now_ since STEM was a complete failure. Did his existence even mean anything anymore?  
  
His world of creation was in shambles now... He didn't really have any other reason to remain here, or to continue making any efforts for himself or anyone else. So then...  
  
  
What was he really fighting for anymore?  
  
  
Stefano started to slow down a little, Sebastian instantly stopped and glanced at him, patiently waiting. This time, the detective didn't ask Stefano about anything. He just kept his silence and politely allowed Stefano to have a moment to recollect himself.  
  
After a brief few moments Stefano gave a small sigh and lightly smiled at Sebastian. "*Grazie." He said and continued walking onward. Sebastian nodded to his companion, returning the smile and following close beside him.  
  
Not too long after, the two approached the first building stretched off from the main city. Sebastian ducked under an opening in the wire fencing surrounding the city and took his handgun out as he stood before the building. Stefano followed close behind, dusting himself off as he emerged from the large rip in the fence.  
  
"Might need you to stand back a bit." Sebastian told the Italian, holding an arm out briefly in front of the other. Stefano gave a confirming nod and kept his distance while Sebastian took aim and blasted the barricaded door open. He kicked it down with his foot after weakening it and peered inside cautiously. "Alright, coast is clear." He said with a brief glance back at Stefano.  
  
Stefano stepped in, moving to stand next to Sebastian for a second before continuing inside the building. He leaned back against an office desk and rested his hands on its surface behind him. Sebastian strode in carefully a few seconds after, placing his handgun back in his holster.  
  
"...So, I guess we can take a breather." Sebastian said with a short huff, glancing around the room before walking over to where Stefano was resting.  
  
"..." Stefano didn't immediately reply, but his head gave an instinctive nod in response. He stared off at the ground, allowing his previous thoughts to flood through his mind again. He didn't even notice Sebastian leaning against the same desk next to him, arms crossed and about a foot from him.  
  
As he thought before, he wasn't sure what his purpose was anymore. What was to become of him, now that his powers were stripped from him and his assets diminished. He had nothing left to fight for...  
  
Well...Except...  
  
He stared discretely at Sebastian, who's focus was staring off across the room until he noticed the Italian's eyes on him and turned his head to look at the other. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Sebastian spoke up. "...You probably have a lot on your mind, and I'm not going to pry. But... I'm here to talk it out... If you want."  
  
Stefano found himself lost in Sebastian's eyes, admiring the hazel brown tints in his irises, before breaking their eye contact and heavily exhaling through his mouth. "*Mi dispiace...my mind...my thoughts have been....rather complicated." He said as plainly as possible.  
  
"...Alright." Sebastian replied, deciding against further discussing the matter for Stefano's comfort.  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Sebastian...?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Are you.. not bothered with my presence anymore...?" Stefano asked, his voice lacking any signs of emotion. Though it almost seemed like he wanted it to sound differently based on the hesitation.  
  
"Why would I be bothered? You're willing to help me save Lily, that alone is more than enough for me." Sebastian said, his eyes kept on Stefano in a reassuring manner. "Even if you're doing it for reasons that have nothing to do with me...I'm just glad to have someone who's willing to keep her safe as much as I do." He lifted his bandaged hand and stared at it absent-mindedly before lowering it. "Really, I don't think I could have made it this far without you..."  
  
Stefano stared back up at him, his eyes catching Sebastian's at the exact same time. Both seemed to be breathing in sync, their silence lining up in a beautiful mix of tranquility.  
  
The photographer could feel the warmth on his cheeks softly spreading on his face, reaching up to block his face from Sebastian's vision with a hand. Sebastian quickly glanced away as well, his own face painted with a flushed redness he couldn't cover up even with his head turned away.  
  
"Ha... *Mi lusingate, Detective." Stefano replied in a soft hush, unconsciously leaning against the other's shoulder with his own.  
  
Sebastian turned his head back at the sudden physical connection, but he didn't move away and instead leaned back himself. He pressed his forehead against the top of Stefano's head and sighed. "I still don't understand a damn word you're saying." He said with a light-hearted huff.  
  
Stefano merely chuckled in amusement at that. "Probably for the best." He replied, closing his eyes for a moment.  
  
.

.

.  
  
Then everything was dead silent. Stefano opened his eyes in confusion at the sudden drastic lack of auditory sounds, only to find that he was surrounded by black nothingness.  
  
"What- Sebastian? Sebastian!" He wheeled around on the spot, the room now gone and nothing but empty darkness surrounding him. He felt the sloshing of liquid at his feet, staring down swiftly to see that the ground was a reflective mirror of water, and that he was standing right on it without sinking.  
  
He took a couple of steps back in shock from the instant and unnerving change in atmosphere. "How did I-? Where is this?" He questioned out loud with a look of faint panic on his face.  
  
Out of anxiety, he sprinted a few paces forward though the thin water layering the ground. His gaze darting around in a sense of disorientation.  
  
"SEBASTIAN!" He called out, coming to a slow stop as a horrible feeling of solitude he never thought he'd feel before overcame him.  
  
This couldn't be happening. It was so silent... Why was he here? Where **was** here?  
  
He pulled out his knife for precautionary measures, straining his vision in attempts to try and adjust to the pitch black void. He prepared himself if he needed to stab Leslie if it so happened to be his doing.  
  
  
  
"You sure are a quick one with the defense reflexes, aren't you?" A thin but level voice spoke out to him, Stefano immediately knew from the softer, feminine tone that it couldn't be Leslie.  
  
  
  
Stefano quickly turned around, coming face to face with a white hooded figure standing idly before him. "You-! What do you want from me?" he demanded in a quick snarl.  
  
"Do not be so hostile, Stefano Valentini. I am not here to harm you." The hooded figure spoke, slowly walking closer to him. However, on instinct he backed away, but her sharp tone stopped him from going any further as she spoke again. "I am not here to harm you." she repeated.  
  
"What do you want from me?" Stefano then questioned her, his eyes narrowed as he kept his guard up. "Are you trying to stop us from reaching Lily?"  
  
The woman merely gave a hollow laugh. "Why would I want to stop you? I am not here to sabotage your rescue mission, Stefano."  
  
"Then...What is it that you want if not to keep us from saving the girl?" Stefano said through gritted teeth, keeping his voice thin and calm.  
  
"To lend you some power that may help you to rescue her." She said in a straight-forward manner.  
  
Stefano's eye widened, caught off guard at the unexpected response. "You...what?"  
  
"You cannot help Sebastian with just a simple knife." She said with a low hum, Stefano giving her a glare in response. "Do not mock me." He said in a dangerously low tone.  
  
"My apologies, I didn't mean for it to come off like that. What I meant to say was, I want to give you the opportunity to prove yourself capable of protecting others." She clarified in a more kinder tone.  
  
"Prove...myself?" Stefano repeated, lowering his knife a little in confusion as to what she meant. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? Are you testing me?"  
  
"In a way, perhaps. I don't have much longer here... I can no longer help Sebastian now... I will...soon be gone... But with the last bit of my influence over this place, I can give as much aid to you as I possibly can..." She explained carefully, her voice now sounding a bit more faint.  
  
Stefano could hear in her voice that she sounded weak. He still didn't fully understand...until...  
  
"You...You would not happen to be... Mrs. Castellanos, would you?" Stefano asked in a more relaxed tone.  
  
"...Ha ha... So you are more perceptive than I took you to be. I'm ultimately satisfied that Mobius chose their test subjects well. You've proven to be more flexible and understanding than...the rest." She said, her voice becoming more resentful at the last bit of her statement.  
  
"We.... _I..._ was hand-picked by your organization... What... What did you see in me?" Stefano questioned, almost looking lost and searching for some kind of definitive answer.  
  
"...Honestly? Perhaps I saw a little of myself in you." She replied. "Or maybe it was simply because you seemed to be...looking for a purpose. A reason to keep living." She stepped forward more, and this time Stefano didn't back away from her. He carefully put his knife away and took a moment to breath more calmly.  
  
"A purpose? I... do not know if I even understand that myself even now.." Stefano replied, running a hand over the right side of his face, his palm hovering over his disfigured eye. "I was...nothing after my time in war... Perhaps I still am nothing even here." He said with a low, sarcastic laugh.  
  
"Nonsense. Everyone serves a purpose in life. Perhaps yours has not been recognized yet." She replied. Stefano could only stare at her in bewilderment. "How...can you see anything in a broken, evil man like myself? Surely...you are aware of the things I have done here... The pain I have caused your...husband..." He faltered in his words for a moment, staring down at the reflective water before him.  
  
"You haven't already condemned yourself to an irredeemable fate, have you?" She softly laughed, though it sounded more like reassurance for him. "Stefano, everyone has a chance to fix their mistakes. Even you."  
  
He wasn't sure how to take this information. His gaze focused on his distorted reflection on the watery ground as he tried to make sense of it all. "I...How can I? What I have done... The things I have created and destroyed...Those I have hurt... Obscura...No... _Emily_...Lily...  
  
...Sebastian."  
  
"All of whom can certainly forgive you with time. Sebastian, I know, already has." She said, reaching out a pale hand and taking Stefano's gloved one. She gently placed her other hand over his, holding it securely to help him mitigate his stressful thoughts. "and Lily... She already loves you."  
  
Stefano glanced up at her upon hearing that, his eye reflected with momentary confusion. "She...does?"  
  
"Yes. She's a sweet, loving little girl. Lily will always see the best in others, and I know she has already seen the best in you."  
  
"That-..." Stefano opened his mouth but he couldn't form a response at that moment. It almost seemed unreal, so unbelievable to his conscious that anyone would consider giving him a second chance.  
  
"I cannot-"  
  
"Yes, you **can** , Stefano. You _have_ the will-power and perseverance. You already possess the passion to protect them, and now I want to help you amplify that passion."  
  
He hesitated for a moment before finding the courage to fully look at her. God, she was such a beautiful woman. Sebastian really _was_ lucky, and so was she. They...complimented each other well. He swallowed a bit, shakily taking a breath before speaking again.  
  
"I...do not feel like it is my place to..." He started, but she gave a warm laugh and shook her head. "What Sebastian decides to do with his life is beyond me, but what I'm certain of is the wish for him to move on. He cannot grip onto the past forever. He needs to rekindle that spark again with someone else."  
  
"....Even if that someone...is me?" Stefano asked, his words coming out slowly and with uncertainty. She smiled in amusement and nodded. "Is that a confession?" she asked in a teasing tone.  
  
"No-! That is not-!" Stefano started to protest, but she lightly let his hand go and gave a whole-hearted laugh. "I'm only messing with you." She replied. "But...even you deserve to know what genuine love is like, Stefano."  
  
He took a moment to himself to form a response before finally giving a deep exhale. "...How... How can you help me, then?" Stefano said, his voice more adamant and firm now. She smiled in satisfaction at his new-found determination.  
  
"With this." She replied, holding out a hand as frothy white bubbles started to boil up from the palm of her hand. Stefano would be lying if he said it wasn't a little disturbing.  
  
  
A large solid object emerged from the center of her palm, and as the white bubbles started to drip away from the object a very familiar camera lay in her hand.  
  
  
"Is that-?"  
  
"Yes. I believe that this belongs to you." She replied with a light smile. "Use this to your advantage, I know it is a huge risk for me to make by granting you your powers back. However, I have full faith in your love for my family."  
  
Stefano reached out slightly with trembling hands, hesitating before gripping the sides of the camera and slowly taking it from her. He examined the camera, the condition almost being as new as when he first had it.  
  
"You...You are trusting me...this much?" He said aloud in a distant tone, almost not believing what was happening.  
  
"I am. If you love Sebastian and Lily just as much as I do...and maybe even more...I'm willing to put the last of my existence into your powers." She said softly.  
  
It was more than Stefano could interpret all at once, but for some reason he found that he didn't need to. He finally raised his head to look directly into her eyes.  
  
"Then... I will not accept failure. You have my word, I _will_ guide them both out of this wretched place." He replied with an undeniable resolve, an intransigent glint in his eye.  
  
"Then I'm satisfied." She replied lightly. Her body started to slowly melt away in white globs of liquid. Stefano stepped back in momentary shock, but knew exactly what this meant now. Her time was up...and now it was up to him.  
  
"Good luck... Stefano." She said one last time, moving forward to give Stefano a brief embrace before stepping back and allowing her body to finally succumb to her inevitable fate. The ghost of her last smile printed into his mind as he watched her slowly dissolve into the watery ground he stood upon.  
  
  
Walking over to where she once stood, he bent down and picked up something lying in the reflective waters. He stood back up and lifted the object in his fingers, quietly admiring the bond represented within the glistening gold of her wedding ring.  
  
Placing the ring carefully in his pocket, he gripped his camera in one hand and heavily sighed. He knew that this was his only chance to be something...to be _someone_... He wasn't going to let Leslie or Ruvik take this chance away from him.  
  
  
As he slowly opened his eyes, he narrowed his gaze into the blackened abyss and prepared himself for the unexpected.  
  
  
"I am ready."  
  
.

.

.  
  
The suddenly feeling of his body being shaken back and forth roughly snapped him back into reality, realizing that Sebastian had him by the arms in a clear sense of distressed panic. Both of them were on the floor now, Stefano half lying on the ground and Sebastian kneeling beside his body.  
  
" **STEFANO**! Jesus fucking christ, what the fuck?! Don't just collapse like that all of a sudden, I thought you died or something goddammit!" Sebastian said, clearly having been freaking out for however long he must have been out.  
  
"Oh...Ah...*Colpa mia, I did not mean to send you into such concern..." Stefano managed to say despite his daze. His head felt groggy as if he had woken up from a long sleep. He pressed a palm to his temple and groaned, shaking off the excess dizziness and staring into Sebastian's eyes.  
  
Which he found were streaming tears.  
  
"Wh- Do not tell me that you have been crying over my body for the past few minutes?" Stefano said in a huff of amusement. Sebastian gave a look of disbelief. "Of course I was fucking upset, YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE DEAD!" He roared in aggressive disapproval at Stefano's attitude towards all this.  
  
"Sì, sì, that was not kind of me. You have the right to be in such dismay." Stefano sighed, reaching up to press a hand to the side of Sebastian's face. "I did not mean to worry you..."  
  
"You're damn right, don't you ever fucking do that again!" The detective snapped, but his tone was less angry now and more worried instead. "What even happened? Are you alright?"  
  
"Oh...Well, I would explain...but... Perhaps now is not the time." Stefano replied with a hesitant sigh. "Okay...okay...understandable." Sebastian replied with a firm nod. "Whenever you're ready then, I'm here."  
  
I'm here. Those words. Coming from Sebastian, that meant more to Stefano than he could have ever wanted. He was here. He wasn't alone. He leaned closer to the detective, his face almost an inch from the other's. Sebastian opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. Stefano considered his actions, breathing shakily as he felt something in his chest urging him to do _something_.  
  
But he stopped. Instead, he slowly leaned back and turned his head away from Sebastian. "S..Sorry..." He said curtly, feeling his temperature rising rapidly at his stupid attempt to...  
  
To what? He didn't even know what it was he was trying to do. Even after she said it was okay...  
  
Guess he was still a coward then. He really _couldn't_ bring himself to do something so emotionally personal, especially to Sebastian.  
  
"Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong-"  
  
"Yes. I have. You have no idea." Stefano interrupted as he bit his lip in self-loathing. "I still do not understand you. Why you have still decided to trust me up to now when there were so many moments where I could have betrayed you."  
  
  
"But...You didn't. You haven't." Sebastian replied in a calm tone, his eyes level with Stefano's even though the Italian was refusing to make eye contact.  
  
"But you don't _know_ that." Stefano argued back lightly, remaining steadfast in his point. "I still could and you wouldn't even know any better."  
  
"That doesn't mean I-"  
  
"Do you even _realize_ how many times I have hurt you and your family, Sebastian? How much this has been taking a toll on my conscious? How hard I have been wishing that I could have been punished or killed instead of...instead of facing my own demons?" Stefano said, finally breaking and looking at Sebastian straight in the eyes. "I am a coward, *porca miseria!"   
  
"Stefano-"  
  
"No, this time I **want** to talk! I cannot continue to let myself wither away in suffering because of this!" Stefano protested, his eyes reflecting some kind of guilt that Sebastian wished he never had to see in someone. "Everything I have done! Everything that I have worked for in this twisted place! It was all for selfish reasons, for a world that was never to be in the first place!" Stefano spoke furiously, mostly to himself. "My mind...My despicable mind... The things I have done, the terrors I have inflicted... Nothing can excuse my actions and yet here I am alive and unable to accept the consequences of my crimes!" His eye was starting to water, but at this point it no longer mattered to him anymore.  
  
"That doesn't mean-"  
  
"*Smettila! Just-! Don't-!" Stefano pressed his hands to his ears and shook his head vigorously. "I have been fearing what was to become of me after you defeated me, and while this second chance you are giving me should be a blessing it is also a curse! You do not understand the duality of what I have become! I have become a monster living in the shadow of a saint!" He didn't realize that raising his voice was dangerous, but it wasn't an issue thankfully since they had eliminated all surrounding enemies beforehand. "How can you believe there is hope for me? That I could escape my sins as if they never happened?"  
  
"You don't need to beat yourself so hard over this!" Sebastian cut in quickly, his expression full of deep concern. "I'm not telling you to force yourself to help. In fact, you can back out _now_ if you want-"  
  
"You do not understand! I cannot back out now even if I wanted to!" Stefano shot back.  
  
"Well why the fuck not?!" Sebastian said in frustration, trying his damnedest to keep his temper in line this time.  
  
"*Ho paura perché ho iniziato ad innamorarmi di te!" Stefano couldn't hold back the outburst even if he wanted to, but apparently he had slipped into his native language on instinct.  
  
Sebastian just stared at him in a mix of pure confusion and aggravation. "Fucking goddammit...Please...Please just...speak in English..." He said, his tone clearly indicating how tired he was from arguing.  
  
"..." Stefano fought back the urge to lie to him, but at the same time...what use was lying anymore? He took a deep breath, and forced himself to look into Sebastian's eyes.  
  
"I said...I...I'm scared...because I...I started falling in love with you."  
  
Sebastian would never have been able to anticipate that kind of response, his entire face lighting up a faded red at Stefano's words knowing full well what they meant.  
  
"You...Stefano..."  
  
"*Cazzo....." Stefano tore his eyes away from Sebastian's and stared at the wall in embarrassment. This was ridiculous. Mrs. Castellanos was surely going to pay in spirit for this. If only she hadn't given the okay, maybe he'd have more restraint on his emotions.  
  
  
"Actually...uh...I've been...feeling the same way..." Sebastian said in a hoarse voice.  
  
  
"What...?" Stefano looked back at him in surprise. "Well, I mean... God, how the fuck do I say this..." Sebastian covered his mouth with a hand as he contemplated how to formulate his words properly without sounding like an idiot. "To put it simply...I've been feeling this...sense of fondness...for you... Ever since I saw how happy Lily was whenever she was talking with you... How she excitedly told me what she'd learned about you... Her trust in you even when _I_ didn't at first... It just all...clicked somehow. Maybe I just didn't verbally say it out loud but my mind knew." He said, his hands in loose fists as he nervously stared at them.  
  
"...I am not worth loving, Sebastian. Not after all I have done...to you _and_ Lily." Stefano replied hesitantly, his demeanor also now worn out. "But I...cannot help this...warm feeling that I...feel...whenever I am with you."  
  
"If you say you're not worth loving ever again I'm going to kiss you harder than I could slap you." Sebastian cut him off in a deadpanned tone instinctively, eyes narrowed.  
  
"I beg your pardon-?" Stefano sputtered, face flustered at the detective's impulsive statement. Sebastian seemed to instantly realize how his words sounded as well. "I mean-! well, that's-! Y-You know what I meant!" He said with an embarrassed frown.  
  
"...I cannot say that I do. And...I cannot promise that." The Italian replied in a hushed tone, flinching when Sebastian's expression changed to a strong glare. "Okay, nevermind, I meant what I said." the detective said irritably. "I don't want to hear you say that again."  
  
"...But I'm not-"  
  
Sebastian let out an infuriated growl and lunged forward at Stefano, catching the photographer off guard. He snaked an arm around the smaller man's waist, pulling him close to his own body and trapping the other. Before Stefano could protest Sebastian had smashed his lips firmly (and a bit aggressively) against his, tilting his head and leaning forward until he was using one hand planted on the ground to support them from falling backwards.  
  
Stefano let out a muffled cry of surprise, pressing his hands against the front of Sebastian's shoulders, but the older man was too strong for him and eventually Stefano ended up melting limply in his arms from the adrenaline rush.  
  
The kiss lasted a good few minutes before Sebastian finally broke the kiss to let Stefano breathe. Even so, he stayed over the photographer keeping him pinned with his own body. Stefano desperately panted for air, having been unaware of how goddamn good Sebastian was at kissing, his head dizzy from the intensity of their kiss.  
  
"You really are... _insufferable_ , Castellanos." Stefano sneered lightly through faint, rapid breaths. Sebastian couldn't help but smirk at that, leaning forward and pressing a firm kiss on Stefano's neck. "Damn straight~." He purred next to his ear.  
  
Sebastian's husky voice sent a shiver down Stefano's spine, gripping the front of his shirt with trembling hands. He felt his entire face warm up from the heat of the moment. He leaned forward and pressed his face into Sebastian's chest, the other taking this as a cue to just hold him for the time being.  
  
They laid there in a tranquil embrace, Stefano keeping his face hidden in Sebastian's shirt and the detective running his fingers in his companion's hair soothingly. Honestly, Stefano wouldn't want this any other way... He just...wanted someone to stay with him.  
  
A few minutes passed and then Stefano finally broke the serene silence. "We should not waste any time." He said in a low tone. Sebastian gave an awkward cough and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right." He said with a grin and heaved himself off of Stefano to let him up. The Italian sat up and gave a long sigh before glancing over at Sebastian. "We should not be too far from the art gallery..." He told the detective. "I do not know how Leslie plans to stop us, but I refuse to let him believe he can take Lily without any consequences." The photographer smiled slyly, Sebastian returning it with a smirk of his own.  
  
After gathering their weapons and thoughts together they moved out of the building, peered out the door to check for more enemies first before leaving. Stefano paused and stared looked back at where he had collapsed on the ground before. There, a notable camera laid unbroken on the floor, Stefano walking over and picking it up.  
  
  
"...So...she really does trust me..." He said to himself.  
  
  
"Hey! You ready to move?" Sebastian called back to him from outside.  
  
"Oh, of course!" Stefano replied as he carefully concealed the camera in his pocket before moving out the door where Sebastian was waiting for him. He unsheathed his knife from its holster and caught up to his companion. "My apologies. Let us continue." He said, giving the other a swift glance before moving on a little bit ahead of Sebastian.  
  
It still amazed Sebastian how he even managed to survive for so long in this hell, and it assured him that he now had a reliable partner by his side.  
  
  
  
Though...it did bring back memories that made his gut twist in the worst way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Grazie - *Thank you  
> *Mi dispiace - I'm sorry  
> *Mi lusingate - You flatter me  
> *Colpa mia - My fault  
> *porca miseria! - dammit!  
> *Smettila! - Stop it!  
> *Ho paura perché ho iniziato ad innamorarmi di te! - I'm scared because I started falling in love with you!  
> *Cazzo - Fuck


	6. The Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Stefano are closer to their final destination: The Art Gallery. But it's only a matter of time before Ruvik decides to start administering his wrath upon them with Lily's core power, and they need to delve deeper into the history Sebastian experienced in Beacon in order to stop him. Their pasts are dug up and resurfaced from suppressed memories, and now they must recognize it in order to progress.
> 
> But is Stefano truly ready to face his own demons?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're not gonna have a good time QuQ but at least they have each other, right?
> 
> A lot of angsty moments are going to happen, this is probably the most emotionally driven chapter I've done before. Also, I put some (modified) song lyrics from one of my favorite angsty songs in here! Can you tell which lines are the lyrics? OwU

Sebastian couldn't put his finger on his growing discomfort. It was nice to have someone helping him instead of facing the challenge alone, but at the same time there was a little part of him that knew that the arrangement seemed familiar to him.  
  
Joseph. That's right... He missed having his old partner's aid, and he knew he couldn't dwell on the past anymore but at the same time... He regretted losing his trusted partner to that sick bastard...to the entire operation that was against their choice aside from finding justice. But now Lily was his only concern. That was all that mattered.  
  
"What is with the hesitation?" Stefano asked with a light smile, an eyebrow raised as he observed the detective's demeanor carefully. He seemed to catch onto Sebastian's slow pace.  
  
"Huh? Nothing, I'm alright." He responded, though it sounded more as if he were trying to convince himself more than Stefano.  
  
"Ah, Detective, you cannot fool me either. Here you were lecturing _me_ about hiding my emotions but you yourself are being quite the hypocrite." Stefano said in a mock tone of disappointment, shaking his head with a disheartening sigh.  
  
"Oh come off it, Stefano." Sebastian huffed with a chuckle. He knew that Stefano was right after all, he wasn't being very noble by going against his own words.  
  
"So...?"  
  
"Just...reminiscing about things from the past, I guess." Sebastian replied with a reluctant breath.  
  
"...Such as?"  
  
"Er...well, my old days as a cop... From when I was a professional investigator."   
  
"I see. You still are a professional, though. I must say, I do not particularly know much about who you were before...all of this." Stefano said, gesturing to the city around them. "Before Union..."  
  
"I could say the same for you." Sebastian argued back lightly. "If I share a little about myself, will you do the same?"  
  
"...That sounds fair enough." Stefano said after a moment's silent. He couldn't promise that painful memories wouldn't bubble back up in his mind, but he'd do his best not to let it drag him down. Hopefully.  
  
"Okay then...Okay..." Sebastian took a deep breath and nodded, seeing as they were really going to do this then.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment, then steadied his gaze to the large streets of the city ahead of them. "Well...I was...kind of a rookie when I first started out on the force. But then again, isn't everyone?" He said with a light chuckle, receiving a smile from the photographer.  
  
"Anyway, I always wanted to find and bring criminals to justice since I was in high school. I wanted to do something to help society... No matter how little or insignificant my actions may be." He remembered how much of a dumb kid he was, though, being so serious about his studies and not making many friends. But to be fair, the other students never considered the career as important as he did and that deterred him from talking to any of them.  
  
"Hah hah... Sounds like you were quite the studious student." Stefano replied in a humored tone. He found it kind of cute as he imagined a younger Sebastian burying his nose in criminology books.  
  
"Yeah, sorta. I enrolled into Krimson City's police training classes at a pretty young age and graduated early. Top of my class even when I started off rusty." the detective said with a shrug. "That's where I met Myra..."  
  
"...Your late wife, sì?" Stefano said, staring over discretely at him in response.  
  
"...Yeah." Sebastian fell quiet for a moment, his memories of Myra flooding back. That time when she was injured...how frightened he was that it would be too late to admit his feelings for her at the time... He still missed her immensely, but he knew she would be angry with him if he kept grieving over her. Not to mention she was the kind of woman who heavily believed in moving on. She was just wise that way, more wiser and sensible than Sebastian.  
  
He continued after his brief silence. "I was able to reach a point where I was given my own partner too, Joseph Oda. Later they had Kidman accompany us for a while before the incident at Beacon." He said, stopping suddenly as he remembered something important.  
  
"Oh shit, Kidman!" He snagged his communicator from his belt and quickly tuned it in attempts to find a stable signal. Stefano waited patiently, listening to the static and the crackling of the radio.  
  
" _Zzzzzzt...Sebazzzzt....Where ar-zzzzt..._ "  
  
Sebastian angrily hit the side of the device with the palm of his hand. "Goddammit! Come on!" He gritted his teeth as he tried to tune it more. "Still nothing?!"  
  
Stefano took this time to glance around at the city, observing the tall buildings and streets surrounding them. A very structurally sound skyscraper with a large wire tower at the top caught the photographer's eye. He always _did_ have a specialty with "deeper insight".   
  
"There. You may be able to obtain a more stable connection up there." Stefano said, giving a brief gesture in the direction of the electrical tower.  
  
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, that looks promising. Good eye." Sebastian said with an approving grin at the Italian. Stefano merely scoffed in amusement and lightly tapped Sebastian's arm with the back of his hand. "Do not get used to it." He teased. "I am saving my keen vision for better days."  
  
"Right, let's get up there quickly." Sebastian said, taking a sprint towards the building. Stefano sprinted after him, holding tight to his knife as he ran behind him.  
  
The streets were filled with wrecked up cars and cracked pavement, none of which were their biggest concern. What _was_ their concern was the large horde of undead loitering outside of the skyscraper they were heading towards.  
  
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Sebastian snarled. "I can't believe there's still this many here!" He lifted his magnum and took aim, blasting the head off of one in an array of blood.  
  
Stefano gave a smile of impressed gaiety at the detective's vigorous skills. He dashed towards one of the undead walkers and slashed his knife across its neck, the head ripping right off as a result of the swift action.  
  
"You trying to show me up with your stupid knife or something?" Sebastian taunted with a chuckle as he aimed and shot another in the head.  
  
"Perhaps~." Stefano purred as he wiped the blood on his knife from his opponent against his sleeve. "Such a pity you must rely on the easy way to get around."  
  
"Oh I'll show _you_ fuckin' easy!" Sebastian said and switched to his dagger, kicking down an undead and stabbing it in the head violently.  
  
Stefano merely laughed from the hilarity of their friendly competition. He stepped aside as another undead rushed at him, holding his foot out and tripping it as it missed him. It fell harshly onto the ground and Stefano lifted his leg and stomped hard onto its head, crushing it to a goopy mush of blood and brains.  
  
"These pathetic vermin are not even worth showing you up." the photographer said with a taunting scoff. "Unless you think you could take one down with your bare fists."  
  
"I thought I fucking told you before that if you challenged me I'm not going to back down." Sebastian retorted with a smirk, sheathing his dagger and cracking his knuckles. He turned around just as another was pouncing him and shot his fist straight through its head. He shook the blood off his hand and flashed Stefano a prideful grin.  
  
"Very well, perhaps I spoke too soon." Stefano replied with a smile of subtle admiration. Sebastian sure was a sexy badass in combat.  
  
"Let's keep going, we're not done yet." the detective said as he locked another punch into the side of another undead's skull. Stefano nodded and stabbed another that was closest to him. A large body count of undead later there was nothing but the sound of the wind blowing through the city.  
  
"...Is it over?" Stefano said faintly, keeping his guard up just in case. Sebastian waited a good five minutes before lowering his own. "I think so. Okay, let's get up there and find a way to get Kidman online." He said, cracking his neck a bit from the strain of battle. The two then dashed to the building entrance and forced the broken automatic doors open by prying them apart.  
  
Once inside they investigated their surroundings cautiously. "I don't think that the electricity in this place is working... We might need to use the staircase." Sebastian said, looking at the emergency exit doors near the back of the lobby.  
  
"...You mean you are suggesting..." Stefano gave a subtle inhale in disgust at the thought of lugging all the way up those stairs. Exactly **how** many stories was this fucking building again?  
  
"Yeah, it's our only option. That elevator doesn't look like it's gonna move anytime soon." Sebastian sighed and walked off towards the back to the exit doors.  
  
Stefano gave a sigh of defeat and followed close behind. Sebastian shouldered the door open, the rust on the hinges making it difficult to enter easily.  
  
Upon entering the stairwell they began to ascend the long staircase, Sebastian in the lead and Stefano behind two steps below him.  
  
  
The path up would take a while, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad now that he was with someone to pass the time.

.  
  
  
.  
  
  
.

The silence was starting to bother Sebastian again. It had only been 30 minutes or less since they had started climbing up and neither of them had said a word to each other since then. He continued to keep going, but soon enough he couldn't handle the dead silence anymore.  
  
"So..uh.. what about you? Are you ever gonna tell me about yourself?" Sebastian asked, turning his head to look back at Stefano and clearly catching his companion off guard based on the photographer's astonished expression.  
  
"Ah...I suppose it is finally my time to talk." Stefano said with a weak laugh. "Very well then." He momentarily fell quiet before giving a steady inhale, gradually letting it out.  
  
"I was a rather lonely child. Neither of my parents seemed to really acknowledge my presence. So I would often lose myself in admiring the way the backyard looked to distract myself from their...own quarrels... I had the desire to capture the familiarity of home." He remembered the scent of grass, the large willow tree that swayed in the corner of the backyard, the small tree house that he would often escape to whenever some days were tough.  
  
"So I started off as a photography student when I came of age. No surprise there." Stefano stared at each step he took. "I longed to capture the greatest moments of life... I had a goal to immortalize the things that were often taken for granted by normal citizens and status quo..."  
  
Sebastian nodded, listening carefully as he slowed his steps so he would be one step closer to Stefano's pace. "I had high hopes...that one day I could show people the beauty of living, while also revealing the truth to them that had been easily forgotten."  
  
"So...How did you settle on being a war photographer?" Sebastian said, looking at Stefano for confirmation which he received quickly.  
  
"Hm. Well, to be fairly honest...I was not sure myself. I suppose I thought that the best place to launch my professional career as a photographer was to expose the purpose that soldiers held for us to the rest of society... To assure they would see and know the beauty of being protected...of having someone out there was fighting for them..."  
  
He wasn't aware that he was clenching his hand into a fist, but Sebastian seemed to notice because he reached over and held his hand tentatively to calm him down.  
  
"I...was not, however, prepared to...experience the death and agony that came with being a war photographer. Years and years of being exposed to it...desensitized me to the act of ending a life... I admit that I lost my sanity after my eye was lost...but I had...seen another view on death that somehow...I learned to appreciate."  
  
"...You...wanted to capture the moment of death." Sebastian said with a subtle swallow. Stefano hesitantly nodded. "...To put it frankly, sì. The exact moment that a living being dies... It...opened my eyes, so to speak... I believed that...even in death, one's life can finally be taken for granted. That moment before you are gone... What do you remember about your life? Does one's life flash before their eyes before their inevitable end as they say? Do you finally begin to regret your mistakes the moment you are on the brink of fading?" He stopped to catch a moment of silence, scowling a little as he shook his head.  
  
"It irked me. It was then that I had a strong desire within me... I wanted to show the world the beauty and the hideousness that life and death held. The delicate balance that they represent. Perhaps my reasoning was clouded before and my purpose was different then, but now I have a better understanding of what I truly wished to accomplish..." He stopped walking up the stairs, falling quiet for a second before giving a hollow laugh. Sebastian stopped as well and watched him with internal distress.  
  
"But all I became was a monster and a psychopath." He scoffed in pure contempt for himself. "*Merda... How did I become so...twisted?" He lifted his quivering hands, staring at them as his eyes started to water slightly. But he refused to let any tears fall if he could help it. "I..."  
  
Sebastian gave a heavy sigh and reached an arm around Stefano's shoulders, pulling him closer and pressing a light kiss to his temple. "Don't. You told me not to wallow in self pity, so you should do the same for me." He said, gazing down at the photographer and speaking in a low, soothing tone.  
  
"...You...are right. I did say that, didn't I?" Stefano replied gingerly, softly scoffing at himself. "*Grazie..." He leaned up and gave Sebastian a soft peck on the cheek in gratitude.  
  
The two continued to climb the staircase, both staying close and walking at the same speed.  
  
"...So...Tell me a little bit more about what happened in Beacon. I think perhaps we can uncover an answer that may help us take Leslie down." Stefano said, Sebastian nodding in agreement at the suggestion.  
  
"Well, a little bit after I married Myra and had Joseph recruited as my partner... We were given orders to investigate Beacon Mental Hospital. You probably already knew this, but it was a psych ward and housed a lot of mentally unstable individuals." He explained.  
  
"Ah...yes. I believe I did hear of it, and maybe in another life I would have been sent there too." Stefano replied with a slightly bitter tone. "But continue please, I am listening."  
  
"Right. Basically we were completely in the dark about Mobius and the STEM system at the time. None of us knew about the real purpose of the system until Ruvik started to unknowingly reveal parts of his memories to me during my time there." Sebastian continued. "I guess...only Kidman really knew since she had everything to do with Mobius. But Joseph and I knew nothing about it. We just assumed she was your typical rookie on the job."   
  
"Ha...Never judge a painting by its composition." Stefano said with a light laugh. Sebastian stared at him curiously. "Never heard that expression said like that before." He said with a half grin. "But I guess you being an artist and all... I shouldn't be surprised."  
  
"Indeed. Please go on." Stefano said, waving a hand to allow him to keep talking. Sebastian nodded and gazed back ahead at the stairwell. "Apparently...we must have been in the system already because we didn't suspect a thing during the "drive" there. Of course after that it was apparent when the gruesome horrors revealed themselves to us." He shuddered a bit, Stefano reaching over and squeezing his hand gently to keep him calm. "It felt so real that even when I escaped I wasn't sure whether I had truly left or not."  
  
He didn't like to recall that feeling though, it was more than disorienting after Beacon. It was even more irritating when the "psychologists" were assigned to him in attempts to suppress his knowledge of the incident.  
  
"Ruvik...Well, Ruben really, was just some broken kid who lost too much of his youth. His sister was killed in a barn fire that was lit by the locals around their home. His entire body and face were left burned up and disfigured. They had to admit him to Beacon because he was so mentally messed up after all that."  
  
"...I can relate." Stefano said with a strained sigh. This time it was Sebastian's turn to squeeze his hand firmly in reassurance.  
  
"Anyway, he started to conduct these messed up experiments. He would make them go through awful tests and studied their minds and reactions to them. He learned about mind connection using the fear portion of the brain and eventually one of his doctors, Marcelo Jimenez, took notice to his "brilliance" and started to work with him to further extend his sick research. But everything that Ruvik discovered was submitted in the Jimenez's name."  
  
"A doctor? Hah. Must have been quite the greedy man if he was willing to put up with Ruvik's demented tests in order to earn the credit." the Italian scoffed.  
  
"Yeah. He ended up perishing just the same as the rest of the people who were in there with us... Even Joseph..." Sebastian shook his head slightly, still cursing the whole ordeal for taking his promising partner from the world.  
  
"...How were you able to defeat him and escape?"  
  
Sebastian stopped for a moment and gave a small exhale. "He left himself vulnerable after he...took Leslie's body. Leslie was...apparently very peculiar and survived the tests that many other patients at the facility could not." the detective paused before narrowing his eyes at the stairwell. "He made it back in one piece, and that must have been what Ruvik had been waiting for that whole time. He was just biding his time for the perfect victim to parasite into..."  
  
Stefano held his breath for a moment. He felt displeased that such an innocent young boy fell victim to something he had no control over. Sebastian continued on his explanation with steady breaths. "He destroyed Leslie's conscious and input his own instead. But the bastard got too cocky and thought he could get rid of me without any effort."  
  
  
"...Sì. He still left a bit of himself here it seems, that much we know." Stefano said with a skeptical glance. "And now he has taken the physical form of Leslie from what we have seen. It is his to control now." He took a moment to think about their conversation.  
  
"Yeah. I guess we could say that Ruvik was his _own_ downfall. That makes me wonder now...How can he keep some part of his conscious here but also be out there in the real world still?" Sebastian's mind started to throb from overthinking the situation. "Dammit." He held his head with a hand and shook it off. "We'll worry about that later when we're out of this place."  
  
Stefano remained taciturn, then gave a firm nod. "Then that means...we will have to target his ego once more if we are to save Lily."  
  
"Yeah, I was thinking that too. If we can manage to get him to think he's got the advantage over us he might leave an opening for us to take him down." Sebastian replied in agreement.  
  
"Then we should hurry. There is little time left for Lily." Stefano said and broke into a dash up the rest of the stairs, Sebastian darting after him as hastily as possible though shocked at how fast Stefano suddenly became.  
  
  
He sincerely hoped that Lily was okay during all of this. He would make sure that Ruvik got what he deserved if he so much as tormented his daughter.  
  
.  
  


.  
  


.  
  
Stefano swung the roof door open, stepping out onto the open rooftop and immediately observing the large electrical tower before them. Sebastian burst out of the stairwell and caught up to Stefano, taking a second to double over and catch his breath.  
  
"Goddamn...you run...so fucking....fast..." the detective huffed out through wheezes of air. Stefano stared back at him and couldn't suppress the amused chuckle. "I thought _you_ were the trained cop here, Sebastian." He teased. "It appears that you have been shown up by a mere photographer."  
  
"Yeah yeah, you got me." Sebastian smirked and straightened himself out, standing up and taking his communicator out. "Let's see if this works."   
  
He took the tuning knob and began to turn it back and forth, the static switching and screeching as it struggled to catch a stable connection. Sebastian was desperately biting back his tongue to keep from losing his patience **and** his temper.  
  
Finally, the device gave a high pitched sound and the static finally subsided. " _Sebastian? Sebastian, come in! Are you there?_ " Kidman's voice was something Sebastian never thought he'd be relieved to hear.  
  
"Kidman! Finally, for fuck's sake! What the hell happened over there? Why did the extraction point close up like that?"  
  
" _We had a few...complications. Mobius is gone... It's over. It's all over._ "  
  
"What the fuck does that mean? Did you-?"  
  
" _The Administrator. All of Mobius. They're all dead now. I removed my chip so that I wouldn't follow the same fate. After all, you need someone to get you out of there._ "  
  
"Right, thanks. But we have a bigger problem now." Sebastian said with a slight growl.  
  
" _What? There shouldn't be any more issues except for Union's stability in there. What else could be a cause for concern?_ "  
  
"...Ruvik."  
  
" _WHAT?_ "  
  
"The damn bastard is in here WITH US. He took Lily, and now we're trying to hunt him down and get her back." He explained in a sour tone.  
  
" _Wait, who is **we**?_" Kidman asked with a confused voice.  
  
"Oh, shit. You don't know, do you? Of course not, that's a dumb question, Sebastian. Uh... You remember that guy we were tracking down when we first started Lily's rescue operation? Well...er...he's with me here right now." Sebastian replied uneasily, glancing over at Stefano who looked just as anxious.  
  
" _You mean that "artist" guy you mentioned before? Stefano? What's he doing still with you? Is he on our side or not?_ "  
  
"He is. We... We've been through a lot. Long story. But he's helping me get Lily back." He assured her. Kidman was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. " _Okay. I trust you. If you say he's clear then he's clear. All that matters is that you find Lily and get out of there in one piece._ "  
  
"Alright. Tell us what to do." Sebastian said with a nod.  
  
" _I can jump you to where the extraction point is, but I don't know where its coordinates are located. Have you figured out where it could possible b-_ "  
  
"My former art gallery." Stefano spoke up, having walked over closer to Sebastian. "The extraction point has moved to the only stable personal connection left."  
  
" _Oh. Of course, that's right... Well I think I know where that is considering it was the first place Sebastian encountered. I can secure the extraction point exit there for as long as possible until you find Lily._ "  
  
"Understood. We will reconvene as soon as possible." Stefano responded and gave Sebastian a confident smile. "Lily is escaping with us whether Ruvik detests it or not."  
  
" _That's the spirit. Okay guys, good luck. Meet you on the flip side. Just tell me when you're ready for the jump._ " Kidman said with a hopeful tone, the static buzzing and the connection cut off.  
  
Sebastian put his communicator away and warmly smiled at Stefano. "You're pretty gutsy, I'll give you that. Kidman doesn't trust anyone that I don't know, but by now she's probably figured that we're the only ones she can have faith in now." He said. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "...I don't know if...I properly thanked you for helping me."  
  
"I am fairly certain you have already thanked me one too many times." the photographer replied with an amused laugh. "You do not need to concern yourself so much with something so unnecessary."  
  
"You call receiving gratitude unnecessary? You really need to reconsider what you call unnecessary." Sebastian replied with a grin.  
  
He stepped closer to Stefano, reaching out and taking both his hands in his and pressing his forehead against the photographer's. "I'm serious though... Thank you...for helping me this far...for risking so much for Lily." He whispered, Stefano drawing a soft inhale at the affectionate action.  
  
"...*Sei il benvenuto, amore mio..." Stefano murmured softly, his cheeks warming up a bit in flustered humility. A part of him believed he didn't deserve the gratitude, but if Sebastian insisted who was he to reject it?  
  
"Heh heh...I still don't understand a damn word you're saying. But I guess that just means I'll have to learn Italian myself then, huh?" Sebastian chuckled, leaning down to press a tender kiss on Stefano's lips. The younger man tilted his head and returned the passionate gesture, standing a little on the ends of his shoes to level with Sebastian's height.  
  
They held their moment for a few seconds before pulling away, holding each other's gaze before stepping away from each other.  
  
"Alright. Guess it's time to find Ruvik and give him another beating to remember." Sebastian said with a gruff smile.  
  
"Agreed. About time the unruly philistine learns a thing or two about the art of valuing life." Stefano replied, his lips twisted into a devious smirk at his clever pun.  
  
Sebastian took the communicator and switched it on.  
  
  
  
"Alright, Kidman. We're ready when you are."  
  
.  
  


.  
  


.  
  
The transfer from their position to the main city was abrupt and disorienting. The environment around them warped and glitched, changing immediately upon Kidman's command. The skyscrapers and buildings disappeared and were instantly replaced with large trees and street lamps, smaller buildings appeared in a neat line as it formed a small neighborhood.  
  
Union.  
  
"Ah...Here we are.." Stefano said with a tense inhale. "That must mean..." He glanced behind them and turned around, staring up at the sky above them. Sebastian turned on his heel and glanced upwards to face what was awaiting them.  
  
The large art gallery hung in the air, suspended by seemingly nothing, with black tangled wires covering the entirety of the exterior. The only difference between what it looked like before and now was that there was no giant blue eye hovering over the gallery.  
  
It meant Stefano no longer had influence over the area around the building. The black wires led up from the building to the ground, digging into the pavement like demented weeds.  
  
"Ugh. This place still looks fucking hideous..." Sebastian grunted, Stefano closing his eyes for a moment and nodding. "Indeed it does..." the photographer sighed. Sebastian stared back at him after realizing the unintended implication. "I...didn't mean for that to come off in an insulting way." He said.  
  
Stefano simply shook his head and sighed. "No. I am not offended. You are right and I agree. This place. It is not right. It should not be." He replied, pressing the palm of his hand lightly to his temple. "I cannot fathom how...unreasonably insane I had been..."  
  
"That's over and done with. You're not the same man you were before." Sebastian said firmly, grasping Stefano's arm and turning the other to face him. "Please don't guilt yourself about the past. I don't fault you for what happened here."  
  
"That is so easy to say. Perhaps I will consider what it means to know forgiveness..." Stefano muttered, averting his eyes from Sebastian's gaze.  
  
"Hopefully soon then. I hate to see you like this." Sebastian huffed, running his hands down from Stefano's arms to his waist, pulling him into an loose embrace. "Please?"  
  
Stefano exhaled gradually, keeping his gaze away from Sebastian for a moment before looking back into his eyes. "I will try. I apologize for worrying you so."  
  
Stefano leaned forward and pressed his cheek against Sebastian's chest, his hands resting on the detective's arms. "What...did I ever do to deserve someone as astounding as you..?"  
  
"Well for one, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't even be this close to saving Lily. And second, you've been through enough suffering. It's about damn time that life gives you a fair chance at redemption." Sebastian said with a huff.  
  
"Ha... We shall see." Stefano replied, walking forward as he searched for an entry point to the gallery. Even though he said those words he somehow knew he didn't have any real faith in them. At least not yet. "For now let us focus on uncovering a way in."  
  
The two walked closer towards the floating gallery until they were directly in front of it. From below, the black wires embedded into the ground looked relatively secure. Sebastian took a nervous swallow and crossed his arms in contemplation. "I don't know if it's safe, but it looks like the only way to get up is to climb these wires." He said with a grimace.  
  
Stefano studied the wires for a moment and gave a brief sigh. "It would seem so." He answered in agreement. "Then we have no time to waste." He reached up and snagged a hold of the wire, pulling himself up to get a better grip on it. The Italian managed to find a good footing and started to climb his way up carefully. Sebastian held his breath as he admired the vigorous determination that Stefano suddenly had, at least he could count on him to not give up. Stefano looked back at the detective and flashed him a teasing smirk.  
  
"What? Are you going to just stand there and ogle at me?" He asked with a sly tone, causing Sebastian to snap out of his amazement. "N-No, just- Wait for me!" He said and quickly leapt up and grabbed the wire, climbing up after the other hastily.  
  
As they began to climb up, the photographer allowed his mind to wander again. Stefano never truly imagined that he would ever be in this kind of situation, to be in a position where he was no longer familiar with the environment that he once called his own. It was surreal...it was discomforting... He felt some odd sense of alienation from this place now.  
  
Yes. It was more than blatantly clear now. He did not belong in STEM's fabricated world any longer. He no longer had any reason to be here. His purpose was left gray. His future was bleak and unpredictable now.  
  
But...was that a bad thing? Maybe. Maybe not. He didn't know.  
  
He thought extensively about that as he ascended up the wires, his expression solemn and unreadable. What was he to do after they escaped? He had no place in society...no place in the world anymore. Yes, he still blamed himself for all of the torturous pain he put Sebastian and countless souls through.  
  
Even when Sebastian asked him not to, and even told him that he had forgiven him and deserved a chance, he couldn't bring himself to acquit himself of what he'd done.  
  
Even Myra... A sweet and compassionate mother and wife... She was willing to put all of her faith in him to protect Sebastian and Lily...  
  
Stefano tried hard to force the tears back. He didn't deserve this second chance. He didn't...deserve this... _He didn't deserve this..._  
  
 _He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this.He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this-_

"Stefano."  
  
He gave a sharp gasp at the firm voice and momentarily stopped climbing, freezing up a bit and becoming mentally aware of his own self-conscious thoughts.  
  
"...*Che cos'è?"  
  
"English."  
  
A sigh. "...What is it?"  
  
"You're hesitating. I assume that means something's on your mind. Do you...want to talk about it...?"  
  
Stefano gave the offer some thought. He never liked discussing extremely personal things to others ever since he was young. It just...never was something that he believed would ever be taken seriously or genuinely.  
  
"I...am not sure anymore." He replied in a thin voice. "Would you really want to hear what I would even tell you?"  
  
"Well, yeah. That's the whole point of talking it out." Sebastian replied with a concerned expression as he stared up at Stefano.  
  
Right. Of course. He was going to be stubborn about this, wasn't he? Stefano rolled his eyes slightly, tightening his jaw.  
  
"Tch! Fine then. Wait until we reach the top." Stefano responded dryly, continuing on upwards after that. Sebastian wanted to say something in reply but couldn't find anything relevant to say. He followed Stefano in complete silence instead, hoping that at least he would consider having a proper conversation once they were safely to the top.  
  
By the time they finally reached the surface both seemed too exhausted to actually enter inside the gallery yet.  
  
Stefano clambered up on the broken edge of the floating pavement, crawling up onto the gallery steps and rolled onto his back has he laid down in fatigue. Sebastian hoisted himself up moments after him and sprawled out onto the steps next to him.  
  
Both of them lay there in pure exhaustion, their heavy breaths in sync as they gazed up into the black starless void that was the fabricated sky.  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Sebastian..."  
  
"Yeah..?"  
  
"I...apologize that I am not being honest with you...and with myself."  
  
Sebastian turned his head to stare over at Stefano. The photographer's hair covered the right side of his face slightly, but he could still see the tears sparkling at the corner of the younger man's eyes.  
  
"I wish...I could forgive myself. As straight forward as it is to say, it is not so easy to act upon..." Stefano swallowed hard, his voice quivering a bit as he spoke.  
  
"You do not understand...the _complexity_ of the word "forgiveness"... It is just...not simply something that can be easily done..."  
  
Stefano lifted a hand, holding it outstretched in front of him. He stared between his fingers at the darkened sky, his breath now shallow and faint.  
  
"...You know... It never is an immediate thing, Stefano. I only asked that you forgive yourself, but I never said you had to do it alone or on command." Sebastian replied with a gentle tone. The rumble of his voice vibrated in Stefano's ears. It was soothing in a weird but wonderful way.  
  
"I...never would have ever expected you of all people...to be telling me that I should forgive myself. To even consider _giving_ me forgiveness.... I truly believed...that out of everyone **you** would be the one to wish hell and damnation upon my soul..." Stefano gave a hollow laugh, his smile was sarcastic. He lowered his hand, lying it limply on the stairs beside him.  
  
"Well that isn't who I am-"  
  
"Then what about Ruben? And the doctor, Jimenez? And what of Father Theodore? Do you wish for forgiveness for them too?"  
  
Sebastian fell to silence, his gaze locked on Stefano's tears that now were more obvious than ever. He closed his mouth and turned his head away to stare back at the sky.  
  
"You know...No one is born evil, Stefano. Everyone makes mistakes. No one is truly at fault... It's always the sources around them that causes someone to become who they are... to do what they do..." Sebastian rested a hand on his chest, moving his other arm to rest behind his head. He sighed, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position with one leg stretched out and the other bent with his foot resting flat on the ground.  
  
"No one in this simulated world or reality start off as a bad person... They just... do bad things to make up for what they were denied or needed. Compassion. Human emotion. Recognition. Anything, really. They all search for something...some semblance of fulfillment...a way to make themselves feel...whole. Like they have a purpose in life." The detective took a steady breath and let it out carefully. "So...yes... In time, I will forgive them too."  
  
"...I suppose...that may be true... But... I still cannot comprehend your trust in _me_." Stefano replied stiffly.  
  
"Well, maybe it's not something that **needs** to be understood. Personally, I think it's my right to trust who I want to trust, and right now I trust you." Sebastian countered, glancing over at Stefano with hazel brown eyes.  
  
Stefano didn't respond to that right away, his lips pursed in contemplation. The hand lying on the stairs clenched into a tight fist, his confusion and frustration was causing his mind to spin. Sebastian sighed, averting his eyes for a moment before returning his gaze back on the other again.   
  
"Stefano... Right now...you may not see any hope of being someone again... You may not forgive yourself now... But...I want you to know...that you are everything to me now. You may not know yourself at the moment, but I have know you to be a triumphant, promising man. Since that time when I met you...even if it wasn't the best way to meet... I could tell...you always had a set vision of who you wanted to be...For what you **could** be. Stefano, you can still be what you had always seen, but now you can be who you want without the guilt... That is, if you so choose. Just know I'll be right behind you every step of the way."  
  
Stefano took a moment to let his words settle in his cognition. Could he...really? Could he be what he thought he always had been? What he had forgotten so long ago? The photographer that had become lost... Afraid... Unsure and insecure... Was it possible to be that hopeful photographer he had started off as once before?  
  
"...And you know... A wise woman once said to me...that she forgave me for my past mistakes. She told me...that Lily would forgive me too. She believed... that the most important thing is to forgive yourself. And now, it's my turn to do the same for you." Sebastian continued, his eyes reflecting deep sincerity. Stefano knew who he was referring to. Myra was an incredible woman. He hoped that she truly **did** have faith in him...  
  
  
"...When all have left me...and hope has disappeared..." Stefano said in a whisper, his eyes narrowing at the sky as he spoke. "When everything I was is lost... I had forgotten...but you have not..." He finally turned his head to look over at Sebastian, his companion looking over at the photographer in turn.  
  
"I'm here for you, Stefano. For better or worse. When we get the hell out of here, I won't give up on you." Sebastian replied, his expression sincere and confident.  
  
The Italian couldn't repress the tearful smile on his lips, his brilliant blue eyes glittered with some kind of longing that Sebastian had never seen in the man before. It was...breathtaking. Captivating...  
  
"Then...I will not give up. Not now or ever. I know there will be more challenges in my life, and not just from my past, but I do not want to live as a coward anymore. Even if I risk falling into agony...when I am beaten down to the ground... I will keep going." Stefano said firmly, flipping over on his side and resting his hand on the stairs between them.  
  
  
"And if I have to crawl...will you crawl too?"  
  
  
Sebastian returned the tender smile, turning over and reaching out to grasp Stefano's hand reassuringly. "Always. Even if I have to carry you through." he replied warmly.  
  
  
That was more than enough for Stefano, his tears finally streaming down his cheeks as he subconsciously permitted himself to fully dispense all of his concealed emotions. He loudly gave a heart-wrenching cry, no longer aware nor caring about his volume this time; His entire body seized up as he stared to break down from the realization that...he was no longer alone.  
  
  
He was happy. He was beyond happy, more than he had ever been in his entire life. It was all he wanted...all he needed...all that he never had and finally received.  
  
  
 **He wasn't alone anymore.**  
  
  
The two men lay there together, Sebastian reached out and pulled Stefano into an affectionate embrace, the detective quietly running his hand through the other's hair as he allowed Stefano to cry it out.  
  
Anguished, unrestrained cries vented from the photographer, his body trembling as he understood what it meant to be loved at long last. To be seen. To _be_ someone.  
  
"*Ti amo più di quanto tu possa mai sapere..." Stefano whispered with a trembling voice, his instinctive Italian slipping once again. Sebastian couldn't help but softly chuckle at that.  
  
"Guess I really _will_ need to learn Italian more than ever." He said, pressing his forehead against Stefano's and hugging him closely. His arm wrapped around Stefano's lower back, the other around his upper back.  
  
Stefano nuzzled Sebastian's face, smiling and letting out a weak laugh. He wrapped his arms around the detective's neck, leaning closer and hiding his face into Sebastian's chest.  
  
  
He couldn't ask for anything more. This. This moment. The people who cared for him. Sebastian, Myra, and Lily... He never would have found himself without them. He was fully satisfied for the first time.  
  
  
  
  
And he wanted to make this his first memory as the man he truly wanted to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Merda - Shit  
> *Grazie - Thank you  
> *Sei il benvenuto, amore mio - You're welcome, my love  
> *Che cos'è? - What is it?  
> *Ti amo più di quanto tu possa mai sapere - I love you more than you will ever know


	7. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With new emotions and a newfound purpose, Stefano is more than determined to help rescue Lily. But now Sebastian and Stefano face another obstacle: the art gallery. With the photographer opted out of operations in the gallery, Ruvik does everything he can to target their greatest weaknesses and doubts.
> 
> Sebastian comes face to face once again with his most trusted partner on the police force, and Stefano his long forgotten friend and former model...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jojo and Emily get some spotlight :D

Sebastian and Stefano would have loved to stay in that peaceful moment for just a little longer, but they knew that Lily was counting on them and the relief would have to wait for later.  
  
After gathering their thoughts and composure together, Sebastian stood up and helped Stefano to his feet. "Ready?"  
  
"I believe so."  
  
"Then let's get in there, kick Ruvik's ass, and get Lily the hell out of here."  
  
"Couldn't have said it better myself." A smirk.  
  
Sebastian nodded and turned to face the large wooden doors. He gritted his teeth. "Just you fucking wait, asshole. We're coming for you." He said in a low growl, Stefano glancing at him with a similar expression of restrained fury.  
  
  
The detective walked forward and pushed the heavy doors open, cold air blew past the two as they strode into the vast main room of the art gallery.  
  
Immediately upon entering, their eyes caught sight of every old photographed monstrosity that Stefano had constructed when he was heavily influenced by his insanity. The former owner of the gallery shut his eyes and averted his head from the gruesome sights. "*Un... Un momento..." He murmured as he took a second to recollect himself.  
  
A quiet few seconds later Stefano opened his eyes slowly and exhaled gradually. He turned his head to Sebastian and gave a smile of gratitude. "Thank you for you patience." He said with a curt nod. "Let us continue."  
  
The two continued further in the main room, in an odd way it almost seemed like the artwork was watching them... Stefano shuddered, his eye darting from one frame to another. It was so peculiar to be on the other side of the horrors.  
  
Even though he was the original artist of the compositions, he felt as if he were gazing upon the works of someone else. Someone more sinister and twisted than him. How ironic.  
  
They stood directly underneath a specific piece that Stefano remembered creating very well: A man falling off of the ledge with a bullet piercing through his body and showering blood like a fountain. The man would never ever touch the ground again.  
  
Stefano drew an unsteady breath, bracing himself for whatever Ruvik decided to throw their way. He needed to for Lily's sake.  
  
"You cannot scare me with my own work, Ruvik." He said with a stern glare at the many framed works on the walls, his eyes falling upon the man being shot off the balcony above in a never-ending loop. "You do not intimidate me anymore."  
  
  
The entire gallery warped and the building started to send tremors throughout the walls. Sebastian and Stefano looked wildly around the room, unaware of what was happening to the gallery.  
  
Red drops of solidified blood seeped out of the framed photos and down onto the level they stood upon. Stefano instinctively backed up a few steps and kept his guard up, Sebastian scowling as he steadied his glare onto the one spot the blood was gathering over.  
  
The blood began to collect and form into a figure, shaping out the silhouette of a hooded young man standing before them.  
  
"...Ruvik." Sebastian snarled, glaring at the figure as the blood dripped away from Leslie's body and only Ruvik himself remained before them. The building stopped trembling and the warping ceased.  
  
  
  
"You can never truly escape me, can you?" Ruvik spoke, his voice was now hushed and not as deep as it would have been in his own body. "It is truly a pity to see, Sebastian Castellanos."  
  
  
  
"Shut up! Where the fuck did you take Lily?!" Sebastian roared, his anger rising. Stefano remained dead silent, but his cold glare was just as resentful.  
  
Ruvik took notice to the photographer and scoffed slightly in his direction. "Must be strange to be in a position of helplessness in a familiar setting, wouldn't you agree?" He spoke directly to the Italian. Stefano bit his tongue to hold back the urge to say something rather nasty to the other.  
  
"Cut the bullshit! Answer me, you psychotic lunatic!" the detective snarled to regain Ruvik's focus on the main subject.  
  
"You are wasting your time." The paler man said, returning his attention to Sebastian, his voice unnervingly calm. "You have no more purpose being here. I could dispose of you both in an instant...but then..."  
  
He briefly stared over at Stefano, who stiffened up at the glanced from the other, and slightly smirked back at Sebastian briefly. "It wouldn't be half as much fun as it would be if I...experimented on you."  
  
Sebastian merely gave an outraged growl, holding his arm out in front of Stefano and lifting his gun to aim at Ruvik's chest. "Don't you dare fucking touch either of us, you sick bastard!"  
  
Ruvik didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. His expression was unreadable and icy like stone. Instead, his simply tilted his head and bore his glare straight through them.  
  
"What makes you believe you have any control here?" Ruvik said with an eerie tone, his frost gaze causing Stefano to shudder at this man's intimidation. Even _he_ couldn't reach that level of terror towards anyone.  
  
"That doesn't even fucking matter! What matters is that you're going to fucking tell us where Lily is or I'll beat you again for the second fucking time!" Sebastian growled, cocking his gun to regain Ruvik's attention on why they were here.  
  
"Oh, but do you really think I will make this easy on you?" the hooded man said with a slight taunting voice. He stepped back, the blood drops gathering again and forming around him. Sebastian knew almost immediately what he was doing and shot three bullets at where he stood. None of which seemed to have affect and passed through him, the blood spilling away and revealing nothing in it's wake.  
  
"Wha- YOU FUCKING COWARD!" Sebastian shouted at literally nothing. Stefano reached out and held Sebastian's forearm to bring him down from his rage.  
  
" _Your prevalence is pathetically sad, but also rather amusing._ " Ruvik's disembodied voice rang out throughout the entire gallery. " _Try as you will, but you will not succeed._ "  
  
"Try me, psychopath." Stefano replied in Sebastian's place, his demeanor now laced with venom. Despite his ego, Ruvik somehow knew it was probably best not to probe too much on Stefano's restrained rage, seeing as it may be worse than Sebastian's if provoked.  
  
" _Well, you said it. Not me._ " Ruvik's laugh echoed menacingly. " _But if you insist, who am I to ignore such a request?_ "  
  
"I did not-"  
  
  
Suddenly, the entirety of the gallery warped and seemed to extend like elastic. Sebastian and Stefano frantically glanced around in astonishment, keeping themselves flanked back to back to cover all vulnerabilities. Thick blood dripped down from the top of the ceiling and along the walls towards the floor.   
  
"Oh, what the hell now?" Sebastian said in a low grumble, glaring at the gallery around them. The blood boiled up from the edges of the walls and doors, flooding over the floors and rushing towards the two rapidly.   
  
"SHIT! Hang on, Stefano!" the detective said sternly, swiftly gripping the Italian's wrist firmly to avoid separation. "Hold your breath!"  
  
Stefano nervously stared at the impending blood wave, taking a large gulp of air and closing his eyes tightly as blood filled the entire room and pooling over them. The slick feeling of the red fluid washed over his face in the most unpleasant way possible. He would have been outwardly panicking if it weren't for Sebastian's grip there to comfort him. Stefano wasn't entirely sure how long he could keep his breath held either.  
  
Their minds were getting dizzier each moment; And just as they thought they were about to pass out, the feeling of liquid pressuring their bodies subsided.  
  
  
.

  
.

  
.

  
The vibrating pang of pain hit Sebastian harder than he could have imagined. He groaned, lifting himself up from the ground he was now lying upon. "Ugh...fucking...dammit..."  
  
He shook his head to try and shake off the dizziness, but the musty smell of blood and filth filled his nostrils and made him even more nauseous. "Shit...the hell am I...?" He couldn't fully open his eyes, crusted blood was dried over his face and eyelids.  
  
Reaching out blindly, attempting to relocate his gun which had slid far from his body. He slammed his fist on the ground in fury, struggling to get to his feet. He slid a few times, his mind too disoriented to focus on anything else.  
  
"Fuck fuck fuck....!" He patted around in search of something to grab onto. Finally hitting something metal and firm. A rod?  
  
He felt his way up it and found that it was a stretcher. A hospital stretcher. He forced his entire body up onto it, panting heavily as he tried his damnedest to regain a conscious train of thought.  
  
He viciously rubbed the back of his hand over his face, the dried up blood flaking off of his eyelids as a result. He growled angrily as he forced his eyes open.   
  
But oh, how he wished he didn't.  
  
He found himself in a long hallway, tiles with blood and scratches lined the walls towards a metal door at the end of it. It was all too familiar to Sebastian, and there was no denying where he was.  
  
"Shit! Not this fucking hell again!" He cursed through gritted teeth. He took a moment to calm down before sliding off the stretcher and onto his feet. It took a second for him to balance himself, but eventually he managed to find a good sense of stability. Luckily, he was able to convince himself that it wasn’t really Beacon, but most likely another reflection based on his suppressed memories.  
  
After he collected his thoughts he glanced around wildly, realizing that Stefano was no where to be seen. "Stefano? Goddammit, that asshole separated us!" He hissed in irritation. "I just hope he can handle himself..."  
  
Scanning the hall, his gaze fell back on the metal door at the end of the hall. "Where the hell did you take me, you bastard?" Sebastian grunted, hoping Ruvik could hear him as he walked down through the cold corridor using the wall as a support. Rats scurried across the tiled floor hastily, squeezing themselves into small cracks along the walls and out of sight.  
  
He stopped almost immediately when he heard a man's scream from behind the door.  
  
"The hell?" He whispered to himself as he carefully approached the door at a slower pace now. It didn't sound like Stefano, thank goodness, but he swore he knew that voice... He planted a hand firmly on the door and pushed it open cautiously, peering through the opening as he did so.  
  
He somewhat expected to see Ruvik there behind the door having lured him, but he didn't see any of that. Instead, he watched as several undead fell to the ground dead. The area itself was a large hospital lobby with medical staff scattered throughout the room dead. One by one they were shot down, a very familiar young man backing up and firing at them.  
  
"What the hell-? Joseph?" Sebastian found himself saying aloud on instinct. There was no way... But then again, Kidman did say that Joseph wasn't dead. So maybe...?  
  
"Sebastian! A little help would be nice!" Joseph shouted back, turning to look behind him at his partner.  
  
  
It really was him. His face, his voice, that stubborn tone and slight sarcasm. Yes, it was really him. At least, he hoped it was.  
  
  
"Joseph, how did you get here? You're not dead?" Sebastian asked as he took his own magnum out and started to shoot down a few undead zombies to aid him.  
  
"No one's really dead here, Sebastian! Death isn't as simple as a bullet to the head!" His partner replied, forcing his gun open and reloading. "So yeah, I thought I died too!"  
  
"But how? You weren't hooked up to the machines outside of this place like me, so then how-"  
  
Sebastian stopped that train of thought to shoot a couple more undead. As he did so, he slowly began to realize that this conversation seemed vaguely familiar. Wait...!  
  
"Hold on, if Ruvik can still be in here because his conscious is partially left here...then did the same happen to you?" Sebastian asked.  
  
"We don't have time to talk about this, so for now let's get this place cleared so we can find a place to discuss further!" Joseph replied back with a raised voice in order to talk over the gunshots.  
  
Several more dead bodies later the large horde of undead were all eliminated. Sebastian took a moment to catch his breath before placing his gun back into its holster. "Fucking hell, I'm so done with this place." He growled with exhausted frustration.  
  
"I know, me too." Joseph said with a heavy exhale. He put his own gun away and turned to face Sebastian. "So what happened? Did you and Kidman get out?" He asked, looking a little concerned. "I thought that Ruvik would have-"  
  
"He underestimated us." Sebastian scoffed. "He didn't count on a cop's perseverance." he said in a slightly humorous tone.  
  
"Ha ha... Yeah, that's true." The younger cop said with a chuckle. "We law enforcers sure are irritating, aren't we?"  
  
That sense of humor. He didn't know how much he had been worried about Joseph. He was such a valuable partner and promising officer. It pained him when he saw Kidman shoot him, but at the same time it still made no sense that he would still be alive now.  
  
"Are you...really alive, Joseph?" Sebastian asked, his mind unable to wrap around the fact that Joseph was here and unharmed.  
  
"Huh? Do you need to punch me in the face to see if I'm real?" Joseph said with a slight grin. "Actually, no, please don't do that."  
  
"But...I still can't believe...What if you're just another one of Ruvik's tactics to get to me?" Sebastian muttered to himself, confused and uncertain what to trust anymore.  
  
"Ruvik. You mentioned him before. What happened after Kidman...shot me?" Joseph asked, starting to walk forward towards the lobby's front doors.   
  
"It's...a long story." Sebastian sighed, his gaze falling to the floor as he followed beside his partner. "But Ruvik seems to have found a way back into STEM again and take it over once more... Though when I escape the system the first time his brain was gone... It was hooked up to these wires in this strange tank before. It was a...gruesome and inhumane sight... Even I wouldn't wish that upon anyone...."  
  
  
"So he...just disintegrated? Just like that?"  
  
"No...Not entirely. He...He took Leslie's body...took over his conscious as his own..." Sebastian found himself gritting his teeth just verbally explaining it. It made him sick. He hated what happened to Leslie, the poor boy.  
  
But he wasn't Leslie anymore. Just Ruvik.  
  
Joseph pushed the double doors open, Sebastian following behind him closely and glancing at now unrecognizable hallway. It didn't look the same as it had when he first woke up. It was now lined in white padded tiles, blood splattered all over the walls and the hall itself seemed wider. Hospital beds were lined against the walls, the entire corridor looking nothing like the art gallery he had been anticipating.  
  
"...I'm so sorry... I wish that Leslie didn't have to fall victim to that. He was dragged into something he couldn't control..." Joseph said with a quiet inhale.  
  
Sebastian glanced over at Joseph curiously. "Do you pity him?"  
  
"Not really. I don't know. Maybe." Joseph said with a disheartened sigh. "But that's not important anymore. We have to find a way out of here."  
  
"But...your body isn't connected to the system... At least, not that I know of. I have no idea what they've done with your physical body, Joseph." The older detective pointed out. "How can you leave without having a body to wake up in?"  
  
Joseph stopped, his expression wavering. "I...I'm not sure...I guess the best I can do is help you get out of here." He said, looking back at Sebastian.   
  
"I'm not going to fucking leave you in this hell again, Joseph." Sebastian argued back. "There's got to be a way to get you out too. Maybe Kidman knows-"  
  
"Sebastian, there's no way I can leave. You said it yourself. I don't have a physical source to wake up in, so I can't actually get out of here. If only a part of my conscious is in here then I'm going to use what I have to the best of my ability and get you the hell out."  
  
As much as Sebastian wanted to argue back, he couldn't. Joseph was right. Just like Ruvik, he wasn’t actually functioning via a physical _or_ mental connection. They just...existed in STEM’s database. Like a ghost....  
  
"Fine. Okay. I get it. You're right." Sebastian grumbled, but he wasn't going to be happy about it.  
  
Joseph nodded, smiling a little as he returned his attention to the path ahead of them.  
  
  
Only to stop dead in his tracks, noticing the hooded figure standing before them at a slight distance.  
  
  
"YOU!" Sebastian snarled as he whipped his handgun out and pointed it at Ruvik. "THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING, GODDAMMIT?!"  
  
Ruvik said nothing, but faintly smirked as he lifted his head to stare at the two. As he did so, Joseph gave a sudden yelp of pain and gripped his head with his hands, dropping to his knees and screaming in agony.  
  
"What the- Joseph! The fuck did you do to him, you bastard?!" the detective roared at their aggressor, the hooded man's expression never changing.   
  
"R...Run....Seb...as...!" Joseph croaked, his face changing into a disgusting, grotesque display of rotten flesh and oozing boils. It was just like before.  
  
"No! I'm not-! I can't-!"   
  
"Please... Just...go!" His partner howled in pain, clawing at his face furiously as the rotten disease spread from his face to his neck and hands. He wasn't able to properly fight back, falling over on his side and writhing like a rapid animal. It horrified and infuriated Sebastian more than he could bear.  
  
Sebastian turned on Ruvik, firing several shots in anguish at the psychopath on impulse. Ruvik phased out of sight, reappearing suddenly in front of him and gripping him swiftly by the neck. He raised Sebastian in the air, the soft grey-blue eyes of Leslie’s now a heinous, striking white.  
  
" _You will never escape me. Mobius thought they could control me, but they were wrong. They could not even fathom the power I hold here, whether I am alive..._ _or dead._ "  
  
"Gghk-!" Sebastian felt ice cold fingers squeezing around his throat tighter and tighter. His vision was starting to go blurry. His breathing was rapid as he struggled to gulp air against the strangulation. Ruvik merely returning his consistent resistance with an emotionless stare.  
  
" _Kid isn't here to save you this time. You are going to suffer here. Forever._ "  
  
Sebastian could only glare down at Ruvik, but he was slowly losing consciousness. He couldn't let Ruvik win. He refused to-  
  
  
Sebastian could have sworn his eardrum had been blown out by the sudden sound of a gunshot close behind him. His eyes locked onto Ruvik's, who's gaze seemed to waver before he suddenly burst into an explosion of white dust and mist.  
  
Upon dissolving to nothing, Sebastian fell to the ground with a harsh thud. He coughed roughly, a hand gripping his chest and the other curled into a fist on the floor. He weakly glanced back behind him, Joseph laid there with his firearm lifted up as stable as he possibly could through his torment.  
  
"Get. Bent." His partner spat, drool and blood streaming down his mouth as he glared with antagonized fury. With his energy finally being spent, he dropped his arm to the ground hard with a raspy exhale.  
  
Sebastian unsteadily rose to his feet, leaning uneasily to one side as he did so before righting himself. He slowly made his way over to Joseph's side, gripping his shoulder and turning him to lie flat on his back. "Joseph...Joseph, answer me!"  
  
He lightly shook Joseph to jostle him back to reality. His partner violently hacked up blood and sloppily pushed Sebastian's hand away. "Don't- hnng I'll be fin- _cough cough_ You need to g-"  
  
"I'm not going to fucking leave you again-"  
  
"You have to, Seba- ngh!" Joseph winced in pain, gripping his chest with his fist. The disease seemed to keep spreading faster now, his forearms and half his face already overtaken now. "If you're right about this _cough_ then if you leave me here-" A sharp inhale. "I won't really be dead. My conscious existence _cough cough_ should still survive here..."  
  
Sebastian took a moment to process what he was suggesting, and he had to admit it did make sense. "Then...stay the fuck alive, Joseph. we'll come back for you, I promise." He said hoarsely, but his chest hurt knowing that Joseph would be suffering along again.  
  
"Go...fucking...beat him." Joseph smirked faintly, nodding curtly to him.  
  
He didn't leave immediately, but Sebastian quietly stayed by Joseph's side until his partner fell into a dazed rest. He placed a hand over Joseph’s eyes lightly before slowly rising to his feet.  
  
He gave one last look at his partner before backing away, turning away from Joseph bitterly. He hated having to abandon him again, but he had to trust that he would be okay like before.  
  
He briskly strode down the bloodied corridor, a prominent scowl on his face as he gripped his hand around his handgun.  
  
  
"You fucking wait, Ruvik. You're going down for **good**."  
  


.  
  


.  
  


.

  
Stefano finally gasped and began to cough harshly from the lack of oxygen, holding his throat as he doubled over and tried to regain his focus.  
  
Stefano opened his eyes slowly, finding the gallery had disappeared and had now been replaced by a long hallway that seemed all too familiar to him. Framed photos of his own creation lined the walls, the same orange hexagonal carpet lined the hall floor.  
  
"No...This is..." His eyes widened in dread as he recalled his surroundings. He wheeled around on his heel, starting to become anxious from the lack of another human presence.  
  
  
Sebastian was gone despite having been holding his wrist that whole time.  
  
  
"SEBASTIAN?" He called out around him, his voice vibrating against every surface yet no other replies were returned.  
  
Instead, the shrill scream of a woman traveled down from the end of the hall, startling Stefano enough for him to physically flinch. He turned back to face forward towards the end of the corridor, swallowing nervously as he knew the only way to go was forward.  
  
"*Figlio di puttana..." Stefano scoffed as he began to walk towards the door at the end, taking his knife out with one hand. His eyes were trained on his destination, silently anticipating what he would discover once he reached it.  
  
He could hear the echoes emitting off the walls, those familiar screams worming their way into his mind. He wanted nothing to do with his past crimes, but it seemed that Ruvik would be playing heavily on his fears anyway.   
  
But Stefano didn't want to let that happen... For Lily's sake he couldn't afford to let anything get to him. Ruvik could do whatever the hell he wanted with him, and he'd have to endure it with as much will-power as he possibly could.  
  
It took a lot of effort to block out the screams, because he knew exactly who they belonged to...

  
_"Stefano, what's with the face? Did the photos not develop well?"_   
  
_"No no, they are fine. The lighting. I just wish the glare was not so harsh."_   
  
_"Ah, I see. Should I perhaps have worn a darker dress?"_   
  
_"No, the blue one is fine. It is just... The composition. It it not...strong enough."_   
  
_"Strong? Was I not standing close enough to the vase?"_   
  
_"No no, it is alright. Your position was fine. I feel that maybe I could have angled it differently...not so direct..."_   
  
_"Are you sure? We could always retake the shot."_   
  
_"Do not worry about it, this will do just fine. You need not fret over a photographer's error in craft."_   
  
_"Ha ha, if you say so then."_

  
It had been a long while since he had seen Obscura, or any traces of his past since he had woken up suddenly after Sebastian defeated him.  
  
He remembered regaining consciousness, having been shot down a second time in the right side of his face straight through his eye after attempting to take one last photograph of Sebastian, his powers were absolutely gone by that point and he was left with nothing.  
  
But after Sebastian had left him to die... He couldn't shake off that awful feeling he had afterward.  
  
  
That odd sense of deserted loneliness. To just be...forgotten. Insignificant.  
  
  
" _You and I are the same. Out of sight. Out of mind._ " Ruvik's distant voice caught Stefano slightly off guard, his jaw had been tightened that whole time without him realizing it.  
  
"I am _nothing_ like you." Stefano said thinly, continuing down the narrow hall of frames. Ruvik's hollow and taunting laugh vibrated within the hall and in his ears. " _Deny it all you want. But you know it's true. They tried to change you to what they wanted. To use you. Like a pawn in their schemes._ "  
  
Stefano stopped, glaring at the ground at his feet. "That does not make me any more similar to you-"  
  
" _Ah, but it does. You began to seek victims to feed that emptiness of dissatisfied purpose. You are just as much a monster as I am in their eyes._ "  
  
"No! *Tui hai torto! This is all because of you!" Stefano shouted, pressing his hands over his ears and shutting his eyes tightly. Ruvik wasn't going to get to him, he couldn't let him. "You are the one who made this hell!"  
  
" _And my hell is exactly what led you to your own madness._ " Ruvik responded, his voice chilling and aloof. " _You sought for purpose, and you have found it here in my life's work._ "  
  
"I was not in the right mind! It is not my fault-!" It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt. His head was pounding like an incessant drum. His voice. Ruvik's voice cut through him like a hot burning blade. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to end!  
  
" _You claim it's not your fault, but look at what you've done. You cannot escape your inevitable suffering._ "  
  
" **Get out of my mind!** " Stefano howled, slamming his fist on the wall next to him angrily. When no response came, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up. What...?

  
Seeing as Ruvik made no retort, he hesitantly continued down to reach the end of the hall. He stood before the door and he took a deep breath, extending his arm out and gripping the doorknob.  
  
The door was a deep crimson color, the door frame was lined with sharp thorns jutting out from vines all around it. The door itself had a single portrait on it, a portrait he recognized all too well.  
  
A lovely landscape styled frame bordered a photo of a woman with her face scratched out, her beautiful blue dress vibrant in the lighting and contrasting well with the vase containing a single red rose.  
  
He stared blankly at the doorknob he gripped, unable to understand why he was suddenly stalling. Was he...afraid to find out what was beyond this door? He never knew he could feel such anticipation as he had now, his mind drawing nothing but blanks as he stood there in utter silence.  
  
Despite his obvious suspicions, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to see what he was going to expect. If what Sebastian told him about Ruvik was right, then he was in for a torturous hell.  
  
Glancing back up at the framed photo, his gut twisted in the most unpleasant way. "I...am so sorry, Emily..." He whispered, not certain why he was apologizing at a time like this. Though, he felt some need to do so, and even if he received no answer it still brought him a little bit of reassurance.  
  
  
He had to see this through. They had to end this nightmare. He needed to get out, to leave this haunted place that encapsulated his sins and misdeeds. It was the only way...  
  
Slowly, he turned the doorknob and pushed open the crimson door, taking one step into the unknown room.  
  
He paused, remaining completely still as he tried to adjust his vision to the darkness, yet nothing changed and he figured that it would only reveal itself once he proved confident enough.  
  
Forcing down a gulp of air, Stefano took several more steps further into the blinding room. The sudden slam of the crimson door behind him startled him, glancing back as he was now trapped in pitch black darkness.  
  
"*Per l'amor di Dio..." Stefano muttered with a slightly tremble in his voice. He couldn't see or hear anything around him, but an intense premonition that even without sight or audio something was in the room with him. Internal panic washed over the young man.  
  
Then, in a flash of red, the darkness warped into a photographer's dark room before him. A very familiar dark room at that. Stefano took several steps back in shock as his eyes befell upon a multitude of photos he had taken in the past strung up on strings lining the ceiling and walls.  
  
"No....It can't be...." His gaze darted from every single photo in view, most of which were his victims in the past: citizens of Union, Mobius agents, the theater victims, Sebastian and Lily...  
  
Even Emily... Sweet, delicate Emily... Her photo was dead center in the room, enlarged to display every detail of her ill fate... His eyes watered as he fell back against the wall behind him, the crimson door suddenly gone and intentionally preventing him from leaving. He held a hand tightly over his mouth, his eyes widened in terror and remorse.  
  
"Please... not this-!" He choked on his own words, finding it difficult to even plead. "I...I am so sorry... I-"  
  
The subjects within the photos seemed to move, almost as if they were alive. Emily. Her lifeless, headless body seemed to be breathing...  
  
Stefano was stricken with fright, his body unable to move on his command as the torso of Emily Lewis rose from the seat it sat upon. The bloodied bouquet of roses extruding from her neck began to gush more blood down the blue dress.  
  
She walked slowly closer and closer in the photo, Stefano pressing himself firmly against the wall and gripping his knife so tight that he felt as though his hands would start to bruise.  
  
Emily's arm reached out, phasing out of the photo and into the physical reality. His eyes were frozen on the photo as he unwillingly bore witness to his former model's entire body oozing out of the flat photo.  
  
"Stop... Please don't-"  
  
Her body now stood before him, cold and pale and streaming with blood all over. It stepped closer, and closer, and closer as the sounds of her heels hit the marble tiled floor.  
  
He couldn't move. God, why wouldn't he move? He screamed for himself to do something over and over in his mind, but his body did not obey any of his mental commands. Her strides were slow and dragging, the sound of blood hitting the floor echoed in his brain.  
  
This was a nightmare. A living nightmare. He needed to get out of here. This couldn't be real!  
  
" _St....efa...no....._ " Blood gurgled from her severed neck as his name seemed to be coming from Emily's lifeless yet animate corpse.  
  
"Emily...Please...no...."  
  
" _Yo....u.....did.....thi...s......to.....me....._ "  
  
"I admit it! What I had done, it was heinous! Please, I-! I do not expect you to forgive me!" He cried out, holding an arm in front of his face and turning his head away from the gruesome sight.   
  
" _Die.....die......di.....e........._ "  
  
"Please..."  
  
" _You.....mu....st....suff.....er...._ "  
  
Her voice became a growl, the blood bubbling up from her neck and creating a puddle at her feet as she stood a foot from Stefano now. He refused to look at her. He couldn't. He couldn't do this. He couldn't-  
  
  
 ** _No one in this simulated world or reality start off as a bad person... They just... do bad things to make up for what they were denied or needed. Compassion. Human emotion. Recognition. Anything, really. They all search for something...some semblance of fulfillment...a way to make themselves feel...whole. Like they have a purpose in life.  
  
_**  
Stefano stopped trembling, his gaze now fallen upon the photo of Sebastian he had taken once before hung up among others next to Lily's along the wall. Sebastian...   
  
No. Not today. Not ever. He wouldn't do this to himself anymore. He wouldn't let Ruvik drag him into an endless cycle of guilt and fear. He wouldn't let him.  
  
He unsteadily clambered to his feet, gripping the wall behind him for support. He glared at the tiled floor, his grip on his knife tightening again, he knew for sure _now_ that he was bruising his palm despite wearing gloves.  
  
"You...cannot....control me...." Stefano snarled in a low tone, his glare now fixated on Emily's corpse. "You...You are **not** Emily. This is not real."  
  
He stood up confidently now, his back pressed to the wall as he raised his knife outwards towards his former loyal model. "I...will _NEVER_ bend to your will... I will _NEVER_ bend to **_ANYONE'S_** will." He said with a stern growl, his expression now hardened with hostility.  
  
The corpse seemed to stay still, almost as if it were listening to his words.  
  
" _...Li...ar....You....ar...e......afra...id......of...m...e..._ "  
  
" **No. I'm. Not.** "  
  
Stefano lunged at the corpse, his hand gripping the corpse's shoulder and pushing it down onto the ground with a harsh thud. He pressed the blade's tip to the body's chest, keeping it positioned as he glared down upon it.  
  
"I am not afraid of you, Ruvik. _You_ are afraid of me. Of **_us_.**" He sneered, his lips curling into a cunning smirk as he scowled at his former model's torso.  
  
  
Hesitation? Ha. Stefano no longer knew it.  
  
  
He plunged the dagger into her chest, blood spurted out in a large wave out at him and covered his entire front with thick, scarlet blood. But he didn't let that stop him. He continued to shove the dagger further and further into her chest, as a high-pitched scream reverberated throughout the dark room.  
  
It gradually dropped to a harsher, more masculine cry of agony as the facade of Emily Lewis's body washed away and only a faded silhouette of Ruvik remained.  
  
Then Ruvik's body disappeared into white dust and blood droplets, rising past Stefano's body and vanishing into the air.  
  
" _You cannot defeat me. You will never escape even if you leave this place._ " Ruvik's disembodied voice resonated in Stefano's mind, but he stood up and gave a light scoff.  
  
"That is what _you_ think." Stefano retorted with a sly smile. "You will have to do better than that to be rid of me."  
  
The sound of a door creaking open caught Stefano's attention, looking behind him swiftly as the crimson door now reappeared and was slightly ajar. For once, Stefano did not acknowledge the condition of his suit. Tarnished or bloody, it was not important anymore. He had to find Sebastian. They had to take Ruvik down.  
  
  
"Sebastian... Please... Wait for me." Stefano said faintly, his gaze now softer as he moved towards the door. He took the handle and pulled it open, taking one final deep breath before running into a sprint down the corridor of frames.  
  
Sebastian and Lily didn't belong in this hell. He wasn't going to allow them to use them like an test subjects anymore.  
  
  
"*Sii forte..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Un momento - One moment  
> *Figlio di puttana - Son of a bitch  
> *Per l'amor di Dio - For God's sake  
> *Tui hai torto! - You are wrong!  
> *Sii forte - Be strong


End file.
